Matriarch The Tales Of Piper Halliwell
by The Matriarch
Summary: Post season 8 series. Piper has settled in with normal life after the Ultimate Battle, until a long foretold destiny comes to light. She must now come to terms with this destiny & prepare to fight an evil that she might not be able to defeat. Please R&R!
1. Prologue: Where It All Began

**Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed and/or any of the characters that have appeared in the show. This is merely a work of fiction created by a fan of the show. **

**A/N: Welcome to the first Chapter of Matriarch, a post season 8 Piper Halliwell spinoff of the series Charmed. This is a special Prologue chapter for the series, meaning that the actual series will only start with chapter 2. Enjoy while reading.**

_**Also, Piper Halliwell narrates this chapter.**_

**Chapter 1 – Where It All Began...**

**Teaserline: Everything has been leading up to this...**

(-v-)

_The Warren line has now existed for over 300 years and I am one of the most recent in that long and distinguished line along with my two sisters and my two sons. Our magical destiny manifested the day the first of our line, Melinda Warren, was burned at the stake. That day she not only spoke of one prophecy but two…._

**Salem, Massachusetts**

**1692**

Melinda Warren, a young blonde haired woman, stood in the center of the village tied to a stake. She was tried for witchcraft and was found guilty. Her sentence had been set, for she was witch. Her sentence was the first of its kind. Witches were not tolerated in her society and therefore she must burn. The crowd cheered and yelled:

"Burn the witch!"

"Kill her!"

"Burn! Burn! Burn!"

Melinda lowered her head, saddened that the townsfolk; among them her friends, had turned on her in the worst manner possible. Not one stood by her, all were too afraid to meet the same fate. Except for one, Ava the midwife, who had done everything in her power to make sure that Melinda's young daughter, Prudence, would not meet the same fate as her mother. Ava and Prudence had fled the town after Melinda's sentence had been made public. Melinda had begged for Ava's word that Prudence would be safe, that no one would ever harm her so both her daughter and her magical line would live on.

The executioner moved forward, waving a flaming torch in his hands. "Any last words, witch?" The brooding man asked, disgust filling his tone.

Melinda finally raised her head, a few blonde strands stuck to her face as she glanced and addressed the crowd.

"You may kill me, but you cannot kill my kind. With each generation, the Warren witches will grow stronger and stronger – until, at last, three sisters will arrive. They will possess the Power of Three and they will be the most powerful witches the world has ever known." Melinda spoke. "And the witches in this line will display great care for one another. The hearts of the family will grow on to be greater than just a simple witch and a matriarch shall be born..."

"Enough of your lunacy!" One man yelled.

"It is time for you to meet your fate, witch!" The executioner said, lowering his torch to the straw beneath Melinda's bare feet.

The crowd cheered as the man lit the pyre. The flames licked at the hay and then at Melinda's skin and clothes. She did not make a sound; she would not give the town that satisfaction.

_Melinda Warren did burn that day and with her death came a prophecy, a destiny. One I never thought I'd receive. She even briefly made an appearance in the world of the living during a special ceremony to announce my destiny._

**San Francisco - Halliwell Manor – The Attic**

**1973**

The attic was lit with many candles of different shapes and shades. The old lace curtains were drawn and a much younger looking Grams stood behind the podium on which the famed Halliwell Book of Shadows rested. Across from her stood her daughter, Patty, her husband Victor and their oldest child, a raven haired daughter named Prudence, who was saddled on her father's hip. Cradled in Patty's arms was a little baby dressed in an ivory colored christening gown. The baby was quite content as she sucked her fist and gurgled.

Grams began her chant to call upon the Matriarchs of their line to welcome the newest addition.

Swirling colors of light enveloped the room as many of the family matriarchs and friends appeared to witness the Wiccaning. Grams turned to them, radiating pride, as she announced that another daughter has been born into their line. She halted her speech as a young blonde woman made her way through the crowd of ghosts. It was the first of their line, the ultimate mother of their line, Melinda Warren. Her spiritual body moved closer towards Grams and with every step she took, her body solidified.

Grams was stunned to see her, as Melinda only attended very special Wiccanings and no one was expecting her to appear at this one.

"My word!" Grams placed her palm against her cheeks, feeling one of her many gemstone rings press against her cheeks, "Melinda, what brings you here?"

"I come to bring you tidings of the future. Before I was burned I had a vision of the greatest witch rising from my family. And now she has been born! Blessed be!" Melinda cheered, confused when her family weren't sharing in her joy.

"Melinda, we don't understand." Patty said, approaching the first of their line.

"This little child has been chosen to become the Matriarch. Though the title may seem simple as there have been many a Matriarch in our line but she is destined for greatness. She will be the one that will lead all of witch kind through the greatest battle of the magical world." Melinda explained with great pride.

Grams moved towards Patty and laid her hands on her arms while looking down at baby Piper who was now sleeping soundly, unaware of the happenings around her.

"Guide her; teach her all she needs to know so that she may win this coming war." Melinda said before moving back towards the crowd of spirits.

_Yes, Melinda did inform my family of my future destiny but she did not inform them that I would be a part of another prophecy as well with its own share of magical battles. All my life I thought I was normal and now only do I realize how much more meaning my Grams' words had all those years ago._

**Halliwell Manor - 1986**

Grams was sitting on a crimson couch in the sitting room with a 13-year-old brunette girl. The girl looked despondent.

Grams gave her a sympathetic look before speaking. "Piper, sweetheart, I can't help you unless you tell me what is wrong."

"Prue and Phoebe are so pretty and I'm not. No one likes me as much as everyone at school likes them. I'm just...okay." Young Piper said.

"You are more than okay, sweetie. You are very special and you need to know that." Grams explained.

"I'm not as special as Prue or even Phoebe. Everyone likes Phoebe." Piper protested.

"But you are special in your own way, Piper; I mean you are kind and caring." Grams said.

Piper lowered her head, taking in her grandmothers flattering words.

"And you may not know it yet, but you've got gifts; the most... the most amazing gifts." Grams continued, radiating pride.

Piper looked up at her Grams, curious by her words.

"And someday those gifts are going to make you even more special." Grams finished.

"How?" Piper questioned.

"You have a great destiny ahead of you, sweetheart, you may not realize it at first but someday when the time is right; you'll know." Grams said.

"Grams, I don't..." Piper began.

"You may not understand it now, Piper, but someday you will. You'll see." Grams said, pulling Piper into her arms, smiling as she embraced her granddaughter.

_Special. I never realized how much baggage filled that one simple word. My Grams knew what my destiny entailed and so, subconsciously she has been preparing me for this... for my destiny. Even after her death, my mother was preparing me as well..._

**Piper's bedroom - 2000**

Patty Halliwell, dressed in a jade green skirt and a pale yellow blouse, stood before her daughter who was dressed in her sleeveless, beaded wedding gown.

"You know, I think I wore my hair like this for my wedding day." Patty said, observing Piper's hair.

"You did." Piper replied. "I-uh, I kept your wedding album after you died and..."

Patty moved forward and brought her finger to her mouth before sticking a piece of Piper's hair back in place.

"And I looked at the pictures like a bedtime story." Piper finished; her voice cracking.

"I always thought you'd be the first to get married." Patty said, pushing the strand back, now firmly in its place. She looked into Piper's teary eyes and smiled. "You are the heart of this family, Piper."

"Mom," Piper said softly, disbelief still visible in her tone.

Patty pulled Piper into a tight embrace. Piper laid her chin on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes.

_Even then my mother saw what my future held, but never told me up front. To me it still remained a mystery on how she knew. But she was not the only one; Phoebe must have known it too when she spoke to me that day. She might not have known how much wisdom hid behind her words._

**The Attic – 1998**

Piper and her younger sister, Phoebe, sat in the attic talking with one another.

"Piper, talk to me." Phoebe insisted.

"I don't know. It's just ... our whole lives we've been like everybody else. Rushing off to work, going out on bad dates, buying shoes. Then suddenly we wake up one day, and... everything is different. We're witches now. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Piper explained.

"Are you kidding? It's a _great_ thing." Phoebe countered.

"You don't know that." Piper stated. "We don't know anything about these powers. Why we have them, what they mean, where they even come from. I mean, how we know it's not ... how do we know it's not from evil?" Her hazel eyes filled with worry as she stated her question to her younger sister.

"Piper, we've been through this. We're good witches." Phoebe stressed.

"How do we know? What about Jeremy? What about all the other warlocks he said would be coming after us? How do we know we're not just like them?" Piper asked, fear ruling her voice. "That is what scares me; we don't know. I just ... I just want to be normal again, as messed up as that was. Is that too much to ask for?"

Phoebe's face became sympathetic before she spoke. "Piper, listen to me. You...are the sweetest, most caring person I have ever met." Phoebe began.

Piper turned her head and smirked.

"No, I mean that. You are." Phoebe smiled. "You're always there to help anybody, even strangers. You've been doing it your whole life. So there's no way that you've been given this...this gift ... if it wasn't to do good things with it; to protect the innocent, just like the Book of Shadows says."

The two sisters shared a smile.

_My dream of being normal never came true for I was a Charmed One, one third of the most powerful witches the world had ever known. Phoebe never realized how much her words meant to my separate destiny. All those traits embody what I am to become. More and more I began to recognize the subtle hints that were given to me over the past 32 years of my life. Even the tragedies in my life were just stepping stones to what I will be. Even Prue's death..._

**Living Room – 2001**

Piper's eyes fluttered open as she saw her husband across from her, his hands radiating a golden glow, his brow furrowed. The witch closed her eyes again while pushing herself up into a sitting position. She brought her hand up to her head trying to take in her surroundings after being revived and brought back to the world of the living. She glanced to her right to see her older sister Prue lying next to her, blood seeping out from underneath her raven locks.

Fear began to rise within Piper as she nervously glanced from her sister to her husband, her eyes brimming with tears. "Leo?" She whimpered.

Leo didn't utter a word; sweat began to form on his brow as he tried to summon all the strength he had left within him. The golden light from his hands became brighter, almost white. Prue did not move; her chest did not even give a hint of breath still within her. She lay still...motionless.

The light from Leo's hands became faint until it disappeared all together. "I can't..." Leo breathed.

"Leo?" Piper tried once more.

"I'm sorry, Piper, she's gone." Leo said, his eyes tearing as well.

"No!" Piper screamed, pulling her sister into her arms. Piper cradled Prue's head while pulling her closer. "Come on, Prue, don't you dare leave me!"

"Piper," Leo began, trying to move closer to his wife.

"Prue, you promised me, you promised you'd never leave me." Piper sobbed, laying her head on top of Prue's bloody head. "I can't do this alone, I need you."

_That day, a part of me died along with my sister. And a new role was handed to me; one I didn't ask; one that I was not prepared for. I had to be the big sister, the one that protected my family at any cost. In some ways I had to be Prue. Filling her shoes was not the easiest feat. In that moment I felt like our destiny was finished, that it was finally at an end but that's when a little secret entered our lives..._

**Living Room - 2001 **

Phoebe closed the door behind a young raven-haired girl. She smiled before hooking arms with the girl and moving towards Piper and Leo who were standing near the stairs. Phoebe and the girl stopped in front of them.

"Welcome, I'm Phoebe and this is..." Phoebe began.

"Piper." The girl finished. "I've been to your club. It's pretty great."

"Thank you." Piper said. "And you are?"

"Paige," The girl answered. "My name is Paige."

_That night when we finally found Paige and reconstituted the Power of Three, I realized that my destiny as a Charmed One seemed far from over. I had to step up to my responsibility as the big sister, the protector of my family. For many months I doubted my destiny, my path but Paige saved me from falling off of the edge. She was the reason that I picked myself up from the ground and began to believe in my purpose again. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have made it this far. Now I see that it was needed for me to step up and take on that role. I also had to learn how to make sacrifices for the greater good, for my love for Leo also played a big role in my preparation as well and everything that followed thereafter..._

**Heavens - 2003**

Piper and Leo stood up in the heavens; Leo in his golden Elder robes and Piper in her white goddess gown. She was dripping wet and crying. Leo took Piper's hands in his before speaking.

"The Elders were wrong about us, they didn't think our love could survive but it did. Our love blessed us in ways they couldn't even imagine." Leo explained. "It gave you the strength that you needed to take over for Prue; it produced a baby with a greater future than any of us and it made me..."

"An Elder." Piper finished softly.

_When Leo left to follow his destiny as an Elder, I had to find the strength to carry on without him. At times I was scared, I won't deny it, but somehow I found the strength to be there for my sisters and for my son, Wyatt. Giving birth to Wyatt... _

**Dining Room – 2003**

Piper was sitting on the dining room table with both Paige and Leo by her side. Victor stood near the fire place, smiling. Phoebe was standing with her back to them with something bundled in her arms. She turned back to them, surprised. "Look!" She held up the baby for them to see.

The group looked at the baby, shocked.

"Is that what I think it is?" Paige asked.

"If you are referring to Mr. Winky between the legs, then yes." Phoebe laughed.

"We got a boy?" Leo asked, happily.

"Here you go, Mama." Phoebe said, handing the little baby boy to his mother.

"Hi, little guy, how are you doing?" Piper smiled down at her baby before looking up at Leo. "Look what we did!"

"I see," Leo said smiling.

_And to his brother, Chris... my two greatest accomplishments in life._

**Hospital Room – 2004**

Leo walked up to Piper with Chris bundled up in his arms. He smiled at her before handing the baby to her. Piper looked down at the beautiful baby boy before looking back to Leo and smiling.

"He's beautiful, Piper." Leo said, proudly.

"See? We didn't lose him, he never went anywhere. He's right here." Piper smiled.

_The strength you gain from becoming a mother is indescribable. You discover a part of you that you never knew you had; you would sacrifice yourself for your children by any means necessary. Being a mother to my boys just brought me closer to my destiny. Even at the end of our Ultimate Battle, I was the sole survivor on the side of good. This was like a test to see if I was ready, ready to take the next step..._

**Manor - 2006**

Piper crawled out of the rubble of the obliterated Manor. Everything had been destroyed, the grandfather clock laid among the rubble along with the spirit board and many other well loved ornaments that had once filled the ancestral home. Piper slowly moved through the rubble and found Phoebe lying underneath debris that had fallen on top of her.

"Phoebe?" Piper whispered, kneeling down to the ground and taking her hand.

She pulled pieces of wood and other debris off her sister's body. Piper took Phoebe by the arm and pulled her into her arms.

_In that moment I had never felt so alone. Both Phoebe and Paige were gone and I was all alone. Leo had been returned to me but I knew the Angel of Destiny was trying to tell me something when she said:_

_"The battle is over, though not as I expected." _

_I knew I had to pull myself together and find a way to save my family. And I did. With the help of my husband and Coop's ring, I was able to travel back in time to stop the battle before it happened with the help of my Mother and my Grandmother. My family was saved and Christy had been vanquished at Billie's hands. We had won our ultimate battle and our destiny was fulfilled. As we closed off the final chapter of our Charmed destiny, we documented all of our experiences in the Book of Shadows, first Phoebe, then Paige and then lastly me. This truly meant that we were finished... fulfilled._

Piper was sitting by the dining room table all alone, writing in the Book of Shadows. Both Phoebe and Paige had left a few moments earlier to their respective homes.

_I wrote down of all my experiences, the good, the bad and even the ugly. Everything that has happened over the years now had a reason behind them. All questions have now been answered. I finally see the light in everything my Grams had told me all those years ago. I am the heart of my family, the ultimate protector, the ultimate mother. I am destined to lead many witches to their destiny, to protect them all and to rid the world of the evil that threaten us. I am destined for greatness; I am destined to become the Matriarch. _

(-v-)

**I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Matriarch. Please be kind and leave a review :) I hope you all will be back for Chapter 2, that's where everything else will begin. A big thanks to Phoenixlighter and Temporal Death for their help and advice. Matriarch wouldn't have happened without the help of you two.**


	2. Where Destiny May Lead

**A/N:** I just want to thank each and everyone one of you who made the first chapter such a must read. I appreciate all the reviews and I hope you will enjoy the next chapter. Matriarch officially starts now 3 months after the Ultimate Battle…

**Chapter 2 – Where Destiny May Lead**

**Teaserline: Goodbye sisters...hello destiny**

(-v-)

_**August 5th, 2006**_

Piper Halliwell made her way down the grand staircase of her ancestral home, the Halliwell Manor, with her youngest son, Chris, firmly saddled on her hip. It was raining outside as the warm and sunny day had turned dark and stormy. Though Piper adored the rain, her youngest son didn't care for it at all. Every time the city endured a heavy storm little Chris would always cling to Piper until it blew over. The eldest Charmed One hoped that her husband, Leo and her oldest son, Wyatt, were safe. They had gone to the supermarket for her as she had forgotten to get a few things for the party they were throwing that night. Since the storm had commenced, Piper had opted for warmer clothes as the old house did tend to get quite cold when it rained. She was dressed in a warm white sweater and jeans with her favorite tan colored Ugg boots.

"Would you like some cookies, buddy?" Piper asked, trying to sooth her son as they reached the ground floor.

Chris nodded his head and then hid it under Piper's long brown locks, hoping that his mother's hair would shield his eyes from the horrendous storm outside. He was also warmly dressed in black pants and a navy sweater.

"It's okay, sweetie, Mommy's right here." Piper said, stroking his little back as they made their way to the kitchen. "The bad storm is outside, it can't hurt you." Piper made her way into the kitchen and set Chris in his highchair which didn't please him at all as he clung to his mother and finally grabbed hold of her hair.

"Mommy!" Chris cried. "I'm scar-ward!"

"Chris, honey, you need to let go of Mommy's hair otherwise I can't get you cookies." Piper said. The witch didn't show how much her son was hurting her, after all, this was nothing compared to what it felt like to be launched through the air by a demon and smacking into a wall.

Chris finally let go and pulled his blanket, that was neatly folded and hanging over the arm of the high chair, over his head. "Mama, make it stop!" He squealed from under the blanket.

"Don't worry, honey, it will be over soon." Piper assured her son as she made her way to the fridge to retrieve the milk to go with the cookies. There was a huge roar of thunder as Piper hurried to the windows and closed the newly hung beige curtains she had bought a couple of days ago.

Since she and her sisters had won the Ultimate Battle, Piper had decided to take some time to do minor renovations to the Manor. She finally managed to get Leo to agree to a nice plasma TV after she assured him that it would be a while before demons would be stopping by the Manor again. Leo was always cautious when buying expensive things as it would always be a matter of time before the object would face the wrath of a snarling demon weaving a dangerous fireball. Piper was all too happy to be demon free for the last three months. She always in the back of her mind worried that it would only be a matter of time before they would return. But she had to focus on the positive, with no demons around it gave Piper time to be a normal wife/mother/business woman. Her marriage to Leo had only gotten stronger since his return, her sons were happy and healthy and growing everyday and her nightclub P3 was the hottest hang out spot for local club goers. Life was just blissfully... normal.

Piper set the milk carton down on the island and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and Chris's sippy cup from the sink rack. She carefully filled the glass and cup with the white liquid before she returned the carton to the fridge and carried her glass and the sippy cup to the table. "Here you go, sweetie." She said as she handed Chris his cup, before sitting down on the chair next to him. Piper pulled the cookie jar closer, removed the top and pulled out two big chocolate chip cookies which she baked from scratch.

Lately that's something Piper had a lot of time to do. Baking… cooking... Those two things were once her greatest passion, even a career once upon a time. Piper always wanted to be a chef and to open her own restaurant but then as fate would have it, P3 fell in her lap. She was always proud to call the club her own, but it was never her dream to open a nightclub. At the time it was just a lower risk to own a club than it was to own a restaurant. It was still one of Piper's aspirations to one day own a restaurant of her own.

"Here's your cookie," Piper said, handing to Chris the big chocolate baked delight.

"Thank'oo, Mommy." Chris said as he took a small bite of the cookie.

Piper looked up as she heard the back door open. Her eyes widened and her heart started to pound against her chest. _Please don't let it be a demon_, she thought. She grabbed a happily eating Chris from his high chair and held her hand up, ready to attack if necessary. She gave a sigh of relief as Wyatt and Leo made their way into the kitchen carrying two brown paper grocery bags.

"God, you scared me!" Piper said, placing Chris back in his high chair. Piper smiled as Wyatt gave her quick hug and made his way to the table to get a cookie as well.

"What?" Leo asked, placing the bags on the counter. "Did you think I was a demon?"

"Well…" Piper said with a serious tone while placing her hands on her hips.

"Honey, demons don't usually use doors. They usually blast it down." Leo laughed.

"Go ahead and mock me but remember who has to save your butt when you get attacked by those door blasting demons." Piper said, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her point.

"I'm sorry, honey." Leo said, pulling Piper closer into his embrace and gave her a kiss.

"No kissy face!" Wyatt said, disgusted.

"I think he wants some kisses too," Piper smiled.

"No, no, no!" Wyatt giggled as Piper and Leo grabbed him and smothered him in kisses.

Chris squealed happily, kicking his feet against his chair. The family continued to laugh, not noticing the shadowy figure outside the kitchen window, looking in at them.

(-v-)

A few hours later, Piper hurried out of the kitchen dressed in a knee length midnight blue dress. Her hair cascaded in waves over her shoulders and bounced with every movement she made. The dining room had been decorated by candles and the table was laid with Piper's best china. A nice bottle of apple cider was chilling in an ice bucket next to the table. She hurried to the door as the bell rang a second time. Piper opened the door to welcome Phoebe and Coop.

"Could this storm be any worse?" Phoebe said as she entered the Manor and took off her coat. Piper smirked as she took note of her younger sister's ensemble. Even though it was freezing cold outside, Phoebe would never let the chance to wear a slinky dress pass her by. The middle Halliwell was wearing a silk pink dress with her dark curly locks hanging over her shoulders. Her boyfriend on the other hand took a subtle approach to clothing; Coop was dressed in a beige suit with a crisp white dress shirt.

"Hello to you too, Phoebs." Piper said, sarcastically.

"Sorry, sweetie." Phoebe said, placing a kiss on Piper's cheek and giving her a hug. "Hi."

Piper closed the door as a very excited Wyatt came running towards them. "Aunt Phoebe!" Wyatt called.

"Hey, big boy!" Phoebe said, kneeling down and embracing her little nephew.

"Nice to see you, Piper." Coop said.

"You too, Coop." Piper said. "I'm just glad you two got here in one piece."

"I know; the roads are horrible. We hardly got out of the city." Phoebe said.

"Why didn't you just teleport here instead of driving?" Piper questioned .

"I don't want to use any magic unless it can't be avoided. We're trying to be a normal couple and that means we drive like normal people." Phoebe said, tickling Wyatt. He laughed happily.

Piper looked to Coop, not believing the words her sister was uttering. Phoebe has always been the magically inclined sister and it was strange to hear that she was being magic-lite. Coop gave Piper a smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I wonder if Paige and Henry will be so lucky," Coop remarked. "They are probably stuck in terrible traffic."

As if on cue, Henry and Paige appeared in the room, carried by blue and white spheres of orbs.

"Guess they aren't stuck in traffic." Piper smirked.

"No, we are not," Paige ranted. "We couldn't even get out of our apartment building; moving is going to be horrible!"

Henry removed Paige's shawl from her shoulders to reveal her tight fitting turquoise dress that came down to just above her knees. He was dressed in a brown suit with a crisp white shirt.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Phoebe said, setting down a now squirming Wyatt.

"If this weather keeps up, we won't be able to get the boxes to the truck tomorrow." Paige said, brushing a piece of her long dark hair from her shoulder.

"The whole sidewalk in front of the building is flooded." Henry informed them.

"I don't know why you guys didn't just orb everything to Boston." Phoebe said as she made her way to the sitting room and sat down with Coop on the sofa who made it there before her. The rest of the clan followed while Wyatt ran off to go and find Leo.

"Because, Miss Phoebe, that's something we like to call personal gain." Paige said as she sat next to Henry who put his arm around her.

"Oh please, you orbed all of your stuff over to Henry's when you got married." Phoebe said.

"It's different this time; the Boston Precinct is paying for the move. We couldn't refuse that." Paige said. "After all, they know how much hubby over here gets paid. We could never afford the move."

"Hey!" Henry said, playfully. "Even though it's true."

"Still think it would have been a safer bet to orb." Phoebe muttered in a high pitched tone.

"Alrighty people, who's hungry?" Piper quickly changed the subject, clasping her hands together.

"I'm starving!" Phoebe announced as she jumped up from the couch.

(-v-)

An hour had passed and everyone was sitting at the dining room table eating their deliciously prepared roast chicken and drinking chilled Apple Cider.

"Okay, everyone, toast!" Piper said, raising her slim champagne glass.

Everyone raised their glasses while Chris and Wyatt lifted their sippy cups as well. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the gesture of the two toddlers.

"To Paige and Henry," Piper began. "We all hope that Boston will bring great things to the both of you. Henry, good luck with your new position and Paige, you better not be a stranger in this house."

"I'll come and visit as much as I can, I promise." Paige said as she clinked her glass with everyone.

"We have a present for you!" Phoebe announced after taking a sip of her cider.

"Right!" Piper said, standing up and moving towards the oak cabinet in the corner of the room and grabbing the gift from the bottom drawer. "And this one isn't just some empty envelope."

Paige smiled as Piper handed her the beautifully wrapped gift. It was wrapped in a cherry red box with a golden bow neatly tied around it. She carefully pulled the bow and opened the box "You guys!" Paige said as she took out the two photo frames. One frame contained a photo of Paige with her sisters and the other was one of Piper, Leo and the kids.

"Just so you don't forget us," Phoebe said.

"Thank you, this is really nice." Paige said, placing the frames back into the box. "I'm kind of shocked." Paige placed the gift next to her plate.

"Why?" Piper asked, sitting back down on her seat while Leo placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Well you had a hard time when Phoebe and I moved out. How are you handling me moving to another city?" Paige asked.

"The mother bird has to let go of the little ones sooner or later." Piper said. "It's time for you to have a life of your own, Paige. Our destiny as the Charmed Ones is done; somehow we are all finally free."

"I'll drink to that!" Phoebe smiled, raising her glass again.

Everyone clinked their glasses once more and took a sip.

"When are you two leaving?" Henry asked Coop and Phoebe.

"Our flight is tomorrow morning, so we have to be there by seven." Coop said.

"I wish I was going away." Piper said taking a bite of her delectable chicken.

"Why don't you?" Phoebe asked. "Go pack your bags and come along."

Piper shook her head slightly while swallowing the bite. "You know I can't do that."

"Why not?" Phoebe questioned with a pout. "Come on, Piper, let loose a little. Come along to New Orleans."

"I can't because I have a son who's in pre-school and a club I just can't up and leave right now." Piper explained. "And anyways, this is a writing conference not a holiday."

"I won't be working the whole time though, that's the good part." Phoebe said. "Come on, Piper; be spontaneous for once in your life."

"I'll be spontaneous in a couple of months, for now I think you and Coop will enjoy your little trip on your own." Piper expressed with a wink.

"Fine," Phoebe said with a huff, finally giving up.

"We'll go on a vacation soon," Leo assured Phoebe. "We'll come to Boston once you guys are settled in." He glanced over to Paige who smiled happily.

"I'd love that," Paige said.

Everyone glanced to the door as the door bell chimed. "Expecting anyone else?" Phoebe asked, glancing back at Piper.

"No," Piper said, standing up from the table and hurrying as fast as her strapped heels would let her to the front door.

Piper's smiling face dropped as she opened the door and saw who the visitor was. It was Billie and she was completely drenched. Her blue hooded sweater was dripping wet as were her jeans and sneakers. Her shoulder bag seemed to be the least wet. Her face barely stuck out from under the hoody. She removed the hood from her head and avoided eye contact with Piper. Her long blonde hair stuck to her face and her eyes were blood red, it was obvious that she had been crying.

"Billie, what are you doing here?" Piper asked, not sounding the least sympathetic.

"I don't mean to intrude, it's just…" Billie trailed off, feeling Piper's annoyance towards her.

"Just what, Billie?" Piper asked, growing more irritated by the second.

Phoebe quickly stood up from the table and hurried to the door. "Come in, sweetie."

"Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed, through gritted teeth.

Phoebe gave Piper warning look that said to leave Billie alone. She turned to Billie and said as she walked with her, "Sweetie, you are completely drenched."

Piper slammed the door shut and followed after them.

She was so angry that Billie had even dared to show her face in her house. Her sisters didn't experience the original outcome of their Ultimate battle before they changed it for the better. The battle where Paige and Phoebe were both dead and Piper and Billie were the only ones that survived the fatal explosion that obliterated the Manor. Piper stormed passed Phoebe and Billie who were now standing near the foot of the staircase.

Phoebe glanced from Billie to Piper who sat down in her chair with a huff. "Billie, why don't you head upstairs?" She suggested. "Some of my old clothes are still in the hall closet. Find something dry to wear."

Billie nodded her head slowly, as the soaked clothes clung to her shaking body. "Thanks, Phoebe." She said, her lip quivering from the cold. The blonde witchling slowly made her way up the stairs.

"I'll be right up," Phoebe called out, watching Billie, who's back hunched over as she climbed the stairs to the second story of the manor.

Phoebe made her way back to the dining room and scowled at Piper. "Piper, what's the matter with you?" Phoebe asked, placing her hands on the back of Coop's chair.

"She is not welcome here, Phoebe," Piper replied. "I thought I told you that."

"Did you see that poor girl?" Phoebe asked, pointing towards the stairs. "She is devastated by the loss of her sister, if anyone can understand what she's going through it should be us."

"It's not the same," Piper retorted.

"How would you have felt if you were responsible for Prue's death?" Phoebe asked, digging her nails into the chair out of utter frustration.

"Leave Prue out of this, Phoebe." Piper warned, throwing her finger up in anger.

Everyone shrieked as the vase of flowers on the table in the foyer exploded. Everyone stared shockingly at Piper. Chris began to whimper softly as Wyatt moved closer to him, trying to calm him down. Piper gaped before lowering her hand as well as her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Guys, can you maybe give us a minute?" Paige asked, looking at her and her sisters' significant other.

"Sure, I'll get the boys their desserts." Leo said, standing up from the table and placing his napkin next to his plate.

Henry took Wyatt's hand and headed to the kitchen with Coop following behind them. Leo picked a sniffling Chris up and made his way to the kitchen as well, closing the door behind them to give the girls some privacy.

"Girls, knock it off!" Paige ordered. "We do not need to drag Prue into this but I do agree with Phoebe, we should give Billie a break."

"How can you both so easily forget what that girl did to us, to my son, your nephew for God's sake?" Piper ranted.

"Piper, she was manipulated by Christy and Dumain." Phoebe defended.

"That does not excuse her from kidnapping my child and using him to call upon the Hollow and then on top of that absorb his powers as well." Piper responded.

"She has her faults, but so do we," Paige defended. "Piper, she has no one left. Her parents are gone and now Christy... she must be devastated."

"After all, she killed her sister to save us," Phoebe reminded. "She protected us from her attack."

"I don't expect you two to understand what I'm feeling. Just find out what she wants and see her out." Piper said, leaving the dining room and heading for the now dark sunroom.

The storm had calmed down but it was still pouring out with rain. Piper walked towards the couch in the sunroom and sat down on it. She lay back, closing her eyes closed and trying to calm herself. Paige and Phoebe exchanged defeated glances before retreating from the dining room and moving towards the stairs to join Billie upstairs.

(-v-)

The sisters made their way through the corridor from the stairs as Billie stepped out of the bathroom wearing a pastel pink sweat shirt and pants with her wet hair tied back into a messy ponytail. The young witch stopped in her tracks as she met up with the younger Halliwells in the small nook near Piper's bedroom. Phoebe and Paige inspected the young girl. She looked exhausted and beat down.

"Do you feel better?" Phoebe asked concerned.

"A little." Billie answered, hugging herself while stroking her right arm, nervously. "I'll get this back to you tomorrow."

"Keep it, I don't wear it anymore." Phoebe smiled.

"Billie, is there a particular reason why you stopped by?" Paige asked.

"Leo told me that you and Henry were moving so I just wanted to bring you a goodbye present." Billie said, making her way to her shoulder bag that hung over the couch near the guest bedroom.

Even though the sisters didn't speak with Billie, Leo had reached out to her after the demise of her sister. Even though Leo was now mortal he still had the Whitelighter characteristics within him. With his loving heart and understanding nature he had offered his ear to her whenever she needed someone to talk to since she hadn't had the nerve to face the sisters since.

From her shoulder bag, Billie pulled out a tiny black box and handed it to Paige. "Think of it as a belated birthday present as well."

"Thank you, Billie." Paige smiled. She opened the box to find a charm bracelet within it. She pulled it out and examined it. It was silver and had a bunch of different trinkets hanging from it ranging from a horseshoe to what looked like the Charmed symbol, the triquetra. "It's beautiful."

"I got it from a Wicca store; the woman said it would ward off any evil that wishes to harm you." Billie explained. "I don't know if it's true though." The once preppy, extroverted blonde witch was now soft spoken and introverted. She hardly made eye contact with the sisters; clearly showing her guilt on what she had done to them.

"I love it. Thanks again, Billie." Paige said.

"I didn't mean to upset Piper," Billie said, suddenly.

"She's still hurting over your betrayal, sweetie." Phoebe said.

"I figured as much." Billie admitted. "I don't know if you guys want or _need_ to know but I'm heading to Seattle."

"Seattle?" Phoebe questioned.

"My dad's brother lives there and they have invited me to come and live with them for a while, you know, until I work through everything." Billie informed her once mentors.

"What about school?" Paige asked, concerned.

"I'm dropping out for now, I hardly attend my classes and when I do, I don't even listen to the lectures so..." Billie replied.

"If you need anything, call me, okay?" Phoebe said, taking one of Billie's icy hands.

"Thanks, Phoebe." Billie said softly as the two friends embraced. A single tear rolled over her cheek as she closed her eyes. Phoebe broke the hug and gave Billie a sympathetic look.

"Do you want me to orb you back to your dorm?" Paige asked.

"You don't have to come with me; a simple wave of the hand will be fine." Billie said, putting her bag over her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Paige tried again. "I don't mind."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Billie replied. "I think I've wasted enough of your evening already."

"You didn't waste our evening. It was actually a relief to finally see you. Just take care of yourself." Paige said.

Billie nodded her head and lowered her eyes to the floor. Paige lifted her hand towards Billie and called out: "Dorm!" Billie was immediately consumed by glowing orbs and carried back to her dorm room.

"I guess we should go talk to Piper," Phoebe said.

"I don't think she'll want to talk about Billie anymore," Paige said. "Maybe we should just call it a night. It's getting late and Henry and I still have some last minute packing to do."

"Let's just go say goodnight to Piper before we run off." Phoebe said as she began to walk towards the stairs, Paige following her.

(-v-)

When the duo arrived downstairs, Piper was sweeping up the shattered remains of the crystal vase into a dustpan with a small brush.

"Honey, do you need some help?" Phoebe asked.

"No, I'm fine." Piper answered. "You two should head home. I'm sure Paige still has some last minute packing to do."

Paige shifted her weight to one leg and leaned closer to Phoebe to whisper something to her. "It's scary how well she knows me,"

Phoebe gave a slight smile before shifting her eyes back to Piper. "Are you sure? We could stay…"

"I said I'm fine, Phoebe." Piper insisted, strongly.

"Piper, we're just trying to help." Paige said.

"I know you guys are, but I can handle this." Piper reassured. "Cleaning takes my mind off things." She gave her sisters a small grin.

"Are you sure?" Paige questioned, just to make sure that her sister was indeed fine.

"Please, go enjoy the rest of your evenings." Piper insisted.

"Thanks for the dinner, Piper; it was really great of you." Paige said, giving Piper a quick hug.

"It was fun while it lasted." Piper said, dryly.

"I'll stop by tomorrow before we leave to say my goodbyes." Paige said, adjusting the charm bracelet on her arm. She placed her hand over it, trying to conceal it from Piper's sight. She had placed it on her arm before she and Phoebe had descended to the ground floor of the manor but she didn't stop to think how Piper would react to it.

"That would be great." Piper said.

Paige nodded, mildly relieved that her sister hadn't suspected anything, turned on her heel and made her way to the front door to get her and Phoebe's coats. She returned to the dining room in no time.

Piper turned to Phoebe and embraced her. "You have a good time on your trip."

"Thanks, I'll bring you back a souvenir." Phoebe said, stepping back.

Paige grabbed her purse and her gift from her family and was the first one to make it to the kitchen. Phoebe grabbed her purse as well and turned back to Piper. "I'm sorry about Billie."

"Don't worry about it," Piper said. "It's going to take me some time before I trust that girl enough to let her back into my life."

"I understand," Phoebe said. "You don't need to worry about her though. She's moving to Seattle for a while."

Phoebe waited for a reaction from Piper but nothing manifested. Piper didn't show the slightest sign of emotion over the information that the middle Halliwell had shared. All Phoebe could do was sigh. She did understand where Piper was coming from but her sister had never been one to hold grudges against anyone but Billie had attacked at Piper's core. Billie took advantage of her child, the one Piper had fought so hard to protect since before his birth. Phoebe knew in a way her sister blamed herself for not being able to shield Wyatt from what Billie and Christy did to him. In some ways she felt like she failed at being a mother.

"See you in three weeks." Phoebe said as she gave Piper a wave goodbye.

Piper sighed as knelt down to pick up the dustpan that now held the shattered pieces of her favourite vase and the beautiful petals of the red roses Leo has bought for her earlier that week. "Who needs demons to destroy your house when you can do it by yourself?" Piper quipped to herself, rising from the floor and placing the filled dustpan on the round table.

The witch dusted off her dress before moving towards the dining room to clear the table. A few moments later she looked up as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She peered into the sunroom and saw a figure cloaked in black staring through the window. "Hey!" Piper called out.

The figure, now alarmed by Piper, disappeared without a trace. Piper ran towards the window and peered out to the yard. She turned as she heard footsteps running towards her.

"What is it?" Leo asked. "What happened?"

"I saw someone out there!" Piper said, pointing to the window. The witch whipped her head back towards the window, her eyes carefully inspecting the dark back yard.

"Was it a demon?" Leo asked.

"I have no idea," Piper replied turning back to her husband. "Where are the boys?"

"They are in the kitchen having some warm milk." Leo responded. "Are you sure you saw something?"

"Do you think I'm making it up?" Piper asked, taking offence that her husband didn't believe her.

"Of course not, but it's been a rough day and maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you." Leo suggested.

"Maybe," Piper admitted. "I just have this creepy feeling that we're being watched." Piper looked from Leo to the window, rubbing her arms, worriedly.

"Piper, you are doing it again." Leo smiled.

"What?" Piper questioned, fidgeting with the black chunky necklace that hung around her neck.

"You tend to get paranoid when things are too normal in this house. You are kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop and you are seeing things that aren't there." Leo explained.

"I do that, don't I?" Piper admitted.

Leo smiled as he took Piper into his arms. "You just have to be thankful for it all, Piper. Your days of demon fighting are over. All you have to be is normal."

Piper broke the hug and smiled at her husband, knowing that he was right. "Well how about we be very normal and clean up the dining room." She said, smiling playfully at her husband.

"Sounds pretty normal to me." Leo replied as he and Piper made their way to the dining room to finish cleaning up.

(-v-)

The bedroom was silent as Piper and Leo slept. The room was dark as the only light that illuminated the room came from the moon outside. Piper had been tossing and turning most of the night, not being able to put her mind at rest. Every time she began to drift off to sleep, she'd wake up again.

Piper slowly opened her eyes to see a silhouette of a person standing in the corner of the room near the window. He was standing with his back towards her, his face unseen.

The witch jolted up in her bed, holding her hands up in front of her. "Who are you?" She asked as threatening as possible.

The person slowly turned his head over his shoulder. The shadows clothed him in the blackest of darkness.

"Piper, what's going on?" Leo's voice filled the room.

The Charmed One glanced at Leo as he turned on the bedside lamp and then back towards the window, to her surprise the figure was gone. "Leo, I swear to you someone was in our room. Watching us…" Piper said.

"Honey, we've been through this…" Leo began.

"I'm not kidding, Leo, he was standing right there!" Piper retorted, pointing to the now vacant corner.

"I'm not going to fight you on this, it's late and I'd really like to get back to sleep. Just try and do the same." Leo said, leaning over, switching off the light and sliding back under the covers, closing his tired eyes.

Piper brought her hand up to her now creased forehead and closed her eyes. She knew she wasn't imagining things; she had felt a presence around her all day. She was usually the one that never ignored her instincts and this time was no different. Something was telling her that they were being watched, but by who and why?

Piper finally shook her head trying to rid her mind of her worrisome thoughts. The witch tried to convince herself that she was just waiting for something to happen. After eight years of battling demons she was now able to sleep with both eyes comfortably closed but she was repressing that opportunity by expecting a demon attack. Leo was right, she had been jumpy all day and it was typical Piper to be a little neurotic but she now came to the realization that she didn't know how to react now that demons were out of the picture. Things hadn't been so normal in a long time and it was something Piper had to get used to again. She pushed her thoughts aside as she also slid back down into the bed pulling the covers over her and returning to her slumber.

(-v-)

The morning sun shone brightly over San Francisco as the sky was finally clear and there were barely any traces of there even having been a storm the previous couple of days. Leo, wearing black sweat pants and a dusty blue t-shirt was hunched over the sink washing his plate and coffee mug while his two magical sons were eating their respective breakfasts. Wyatt happily nibbled on his toast and scrambled eggs while Chris was sucking on the small piece of toast Leo had handed to him earlier. Chris was still little and had not yet been able to feed himself like Wyatt, so to avoid choking accidents Leo slightly toasted his bread, smeared it with butter, cut it into strips and of course removed the crusts before handing it to his youngest son.

"Glad to see my troops are all up and awake!" Piper said, entering the kitchen in jeans and a wide long-sleeved crimson blouse. She had her purse tucked under her arm and her black jacket over it. She tucked a piece of her long locks behind her ear while giving Chris' cheek a single stroke.

"Morning," Leo said, greeting his wife with a morning peck before sitting down to read the paper. "Feeling better?"

Piper placed her purse and jacket on the breakfast table and moved towards the coffee maker before replying to her husband's question. "A little. I'm sorry if I freaked you out. I guess my mind is still not used to not having evil beasties running around the house."

"It's understandable after all you and your sisters have been through. You just have to embrace the new life that's been handed to you, honey. You have the chance to start from scratch, no worrying about demons or attacks. You are finally free to be normal and to raise your children without any demonic interruptions." Leo said.

"Seriously, is that your inner Whitelighter coming out?" Piper joked while pouring the white-blue rimmed mug full of coffee.

"If it works," Leo responded with a smile. "Are you telling me I'm wrong?"

Piper took a sip of her warm coffee. "No, actually you couldn't be more right. I have just been so aware of everything around me for eight years and always being ready for any type of attack that it's kind of hard to let my guard down. It's going to take some time getting used to the idea that this house will finally be free from demonic attacks."

"But you will get used to it, Piper, it's too good not to get used to it. It's a freedom; one you especially have been craving for." Leo said.

"So what you are saying is 'shut up and enjoy it'?" Piper smirked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Leo smiled as he noticed Piper's clothes. "Where are you off to?"

"Rex called this morning, he said the some of the stock we ordered came in a day early so I have to go and take care of that and then I should be back by this afternoon. Paige said she'd be dropping by before they leave for Boston." Piper explained, taking a couple of sips of her coffee.

"Have you heard from Phoebe?" Leo asked.

"She called before they boarded. Remind me to kill her for waking me up so early." Piper responded, placing the cup in the sink and grabbing a banana muffin from the island. "Gotta go." Piper quickly placed a kiss on each of her sons' heads and then finally kissed Leo goodbye before making her way out the back door.

Leo returned to his paper but glanced up again as he heard the familiar chime of orbing. He looked towards his sons and saw Wyatt disappear in spheres of blue light. "Wyatt!" Leo called, lifting his head to the ceiling. "You know you are not allowed to orb without permission." Leo lowered his head and looked at Chris, who was staring at the ceiling. "Do you sense your brother, big guy?" Leo asked, coming closer towards the toddler.

Chris nodded his little head and pointed towards the ceiling. "Wyatt…" He mumbled.

"Okay, come on, buddy." Leo said, picking Chris up out of his highchair.

Leo and Chris made their way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor of the manor.

(-v-)

Leo arrived in the attic with his youngest son in his in his arms.

"Wyatt?" He called, searching the attic.

His eyes set on Wyatt who sat near the stained glass window that illuminated the corner with bright colorful beams. The Book of Shadows was resting on the floor in front of him.

"What's going on, buddy?" Leo asked as he set Chris down and walked closer to his oldest son.

Chris made his way over to his toy corner, oblivious at what was going on. Wyatt looked up at Leo before gazing back down at the Book and holding his hand open over the closed Book of Shadows. A blue light emanated from his tiny hand and the Book of Shadows flew open with a thud. The pages began to turn wildly until the glow from Wyatt's hand subsided. The turning pages finally became immobile.

Leo's forehead creased as he finally reached Wyatt and the now peaceful Book of Shadows. He kneeled down and turned the heavy tome to him. He glanced from Wyatt down to the page. "The Matriarch?" Leo said confused.

"Mommy," Wyatt said, insistently placing his hand on the open page.

Leo looked up form the page to his son, now understanding what Wyatt was trying to tell him. He lifted the Book up from the ground and carried it to the podium. He straightened out the page and read it.

_"Prophesized by the first of the Warren line_

_One witch shall rise to fight all of evil kind_

_A powerful destiny must now unfold_

_For this magical prophecy was long foretold_

_Bestowed upon her the greatest of power_

_She'll come to light in the Solstice hour_

_To lead all of witchkind to their greatest battle yet_

_She alone will rise up against this dark threat_

_She will be the light that will arise from the dark_

_She is born, the powerful Matriarch."_

Leo looked up, stunned by what he had just read.

"That's Mommy." Wyatt said insistently.

"Could Piper really be…?" Leo trailed off.

(-v-)

Piper stood behind the bar of her nightclub, P3, packing away the final box of swizzle sticks. A couple of drinking glasses glistened under the few coloured spotlights on a tray that was placed on the far end of the purple counter.

The witch glanced up to the stairs as she heard the door close. Down the steps came Paige, dressed in jeans and a navy empire waist blouse. Her hair was combed into a side ponytail that was hanging over her left shoulder. "Hey!" She greeted her oldest sister.

"Hey!" Piper returned the greeting. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stop by the Manor later on." Piper moved towards the tray and began hanging up the glasses.

"I talked to Phoebe and she told me that you had some stuff to do here so I just thought I'd swing by, give the place one final look." Paige responded, shrugging her shoulder.

"Paige, it's not like you'll never visit again." Piper said, hanging up two of the remaining glasses on the counter.

"I know. It's just strange that you guys aren't going to be so close to me anymore." Paige admitted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Says the girl who didn't want to move in with us five years ago." Piper laughed, sliding the now vacant tray towards her and placing it under the counter.

"Yeah, well I didn't think I'd get so attached to you two in the end either." Paige smiled, moving closer towards the bar and lifting herself up onto one of the purple stools.

"You're just scared of change that's all. We Halliwells never do well with change, trust me, I have personal experience in that category. But I think Boston is going to be great for you. You can finally focus on your career as a social worker and you don't have to worry about witch duty." Piper explained, leaning her crossed arms on the purple surface.

"Well I'm still a Whitelighter. I'll still be saving innocents so I'm not free of my magical destiny just quite yet." Paige justified.

"I'm sure most of the demons are in hiding anyway since the battle, which is a good thing." Piper said. In the back of her mind, Piper wished she could believe the words she spoke. Demons were in hiding since the battle so why was she expecting them to burst through her front door?

"I guess." Paige agreed, half heartedly.

"So are you all packed?" Piper asked.

"Yes, thank God the rain cleared; otherwise we would have had a big struggle." Paige explained. "I'm just glad everything is packed & that the truck is safely on its way to Boston."

"Where's Henry?" Piper asked, as she stepped out from behind the bar.

"He took my car to the station to say goodbye to his friends, I'm meeting him there before we hit the road," Paige replied. "We've decided to make our trip to Boston a little road trip, you know, see the sights. I have always wanted to visit the New York."

Piper looked at Paige for a moment, trying to keep her emotions in check. When Phoebe moved out of the manor, Piper had a really hard time dealing with it. Now her baby sister was packing up and moving further away then just down town. "You better come and visit often or I will summon your ass." Piper joked.

Paige laughed while trying to fight back her tears. She wasn't usually a very emotional person but after knowing her sisters for five years she had come to love them fiercely so being away from them and not seeing them everyday was going to be hard for her. "Of course I'll visit; I'll be around so much you'll think I never moved." Paige said, smiling and rising her one shoulder jokingly.

"Well, you have to get your house sorted out first before you can come and visit though. It's not all fun and games setting up a new house." Piper said.

"Yeah, I know, but I'll make time to come and see you, Leo and the boys." Paige said.

"You promise?" Piper asked.

"I promise." Paige assured her sister. "Just don't forget about the time difference when you call me."

Piper smiled as she lowered her eyes so that Paige couldn't see the tears forming behind her brown eyes.

"Oh now, come on. Don't go and cry because I'm barely holding it together as it is." Paige said.

"Trust me, I'm trying." Piper said, lifting her head to try and stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. "Still trying," she choked.

"Come here," Paige said, stepping down from her chair as Piper came out behind the bar. The youngest Charmed Ones smiled as she wrapped her arms around her older sister. Piper followed suit as she closed her eyes and let go of the tears she'd been fighting so hard to hold back.

Piper knew that this was something Paige had to do but it was hard to think that their destiny was no longer keeping them together. Though she was relieved that their destiny was fulfilled, she was sad that it wasn't there to keep her and her sisters together anymore.

"Oh-kay, you've gotta hit the road. I don't want you and Henry driving at night." Piper said, as she stepped away from her sister, lowering her head.

"Now if you need me, be it demonic or no, call me." Paige said, brushing away the tears falling down her cheeks. "Okay?"

"Okay," Piper responded.

"I didn't think this was going to be so hard." Paige admitted, shifting her weight from her right to her left leg.

"I did." Piper said, with a slight laugh.

"Bye, Piper." Paige said, turning to leave.

Piper lowered her head as Paige moved away from her. She lifted her head once more and said: "I love you."

Those three single words made Paige stop in her tracks. She slowly turned back to her older sister and smiled. "That's the first time you've ever said that to me."

Piper smiled shyly as she responded. "I think it's about time, don't you?"

"Is this your way of getting me to stay?" Paige questioned.

"No," Piper said, unconvincingly. Paige placed her hands firmly on her waist and gave Piper a look. "Maybe." Piper rolled her eyes playfully.

Paige nodded her head, smiling. "I love you, too." She said before climbing up the stairs to exit the club.

Piper tried to hold back her remaining tears while taking a breath and letting it out again. She knew she'd be seeing Paige again soon but it was still hard to say goodbye to her.

Piper wiped away the remaining tears as she walked back to the bar. Once she was behind the counter once more, her cellphone began to vibrate loudly on the hard surface. The Charmed Witch swiped the phone from the counter and flipped it open before pressing it to her ear. "Hello?" Piper said into the phone. The witch listened intently as the other person spoke on the telephone. Her forehead creased with concern before she spoke. "Leo? What's wrong?"

(-v-)

Piper hurried into the attic to find her two sons playing peacefully in their toy corner while Leo was hunched over the Book of Shadows.

"Okay, I'm here!" Piper said, pulling off her black jacket. "What's the big emergency?"

Leo looked up at his wife before turning the podium towards her. "Read." He ordered.

"Leo, what's going on?" Piper repeated her question.

"Just read this," Leo insisted.

Piper sighed before lowering her eyes to the page and reading it. Leo watched his wife carefully as she read the entry. She finally looked up at him unfazed by what she had read. "What's this?"

"Piper, this is you." Leo said.

"No, Leo. I'm done with magic and I'm done with destiny. What makes you so sure that I am this so called prophesized Matriarch?" Piper asked.

"It's not me who thinks it, it's our son." Leo said, pointing towards Wyatt.

Piper turned back and looked at her blond haired son. "Wyatt?" Piper breathed. "Why would he think that?"

"I don't know, but somehow he was lured to the Book and he opened it to this page using his magic. This has to be you." Leo insisted.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy? Weren't you the one that said that all I had to be was normal and that all the magical duties are over with?" Piper asked.

"Piper, I can't change or talk away what is meant to be and clearly you are meant to be the Matriarch." Leo argued.

"I'm not doing this; I can't go through another destiny let alone go through it by myself." Piper said. "No one can make me do this."

"Oh, really?" A voice spoke.

Piper and Leo searched the room for the owner of the voice but already knew who had spoken to them.

"Alright, Grams. Come out, come out, wherever you are." Piper called out, rising an eyebrow.

Swirling lights descended from the ceiling before forming a silhouette and twirling around it. As the bright spheres of light dissipated, Grams appeared in all her glory. She was dressed in black pants with a flowing red blouse along with a thin black scarf loosely tied around her neck. "Hello, Piper." Grams greeted.

"You know, lately it seems that you never come down for a visit, it's more of a business trip." Piper quipped.

"Don't be that way, Piper. But yes, this is indeed business. You can't just push this new destiny of yours to the side." Grams insisted.

"Grams, are you kidding me? I just finished one destiny that took eight years to fulfill now you want me to take on another one?" Piper asked, stunned. "Is this going to take another eight years before I can truly be normal?"

"It's not me that wants you to take it on, Piper. This prophecy was spoken by Melinda Warren herself. We didn't even know you would become the Matriarch until your Wiccaning." Grams explained.

"My Wiccaning? I had a Wiccaning?" Piper asked, amazed.

"Yes and when we summoned all the matriarchs, Melinda appeared and announced that you were the prophesized Matriarch. Now we don't know if she knew that you'd be a Charmed One as well, but together with your Charmed powers and the Matriarch abilities you'll receive, you will be the most powerful female witch to rise from our family." Grams explained.

"I can't believe this is happening." Piper said, bringing her hand up to her forehead.

"Honey, everything that you have been through has been preparing you for this day. Losing Prue, becoming a mother, winning the Ultimate Battle... everything was just to test how ready you are to take this on." Grams said.

"I'm sorry? Did you just refer to Prue as a test? Did she die because of my destiny?" Piper asked, slightly offended by her grandmother's words.

"Of course not..." Grams defended.

"Then why would you say that everything was a test? I don't like to think that Prue dying was to prepare me for this, especially not after everything we have been through." Piper said.

"Piper," Grams tried once more, needing to get through to her granddaughter.

"No. I can't take this anymore. Why is it every time I think that I can finally be normal something happens to change everything? If anyone deserves to have a normal life, it's me." Piper argued before turning her back on her grandmother.

"You have to understand, sweetie, that this destiny would have come to light earlier if you weren't a Charmed One and as a collective you were needed to fulfill the Charmed prophecy but now your time has come to embrace _your_ true destiny. You are going to mean so much to the magical world, Piper." Grams said proudly, bringing her hands together, the gem rings on her fingers giving off a slight glisten.

"Piper can't decline this destiny, can she?" Leo asked, moving closer to his wife.

"No, she can't." Grams responded, turning back to Piper. "There is a reason that this was brought to you now, sweetheart. You have until the Winter Solstice to come to terms with this new destiny of yours."

Piper turned back to her grandmother, her forehead creasing with confusion. "Why do I have until the Winter Solstice?"

"That's when a great gathering will be taking place; I can't tell you more as this is something you will need to discover on your own." Grams said.

"It's in the prophecy as well." Leo said lowering his head to the Book as he turned the podium back towards him. "_She'll come to light in the Solstice hour_."

Piper tried to wrap her mind around everything, she felt like the walls were about to close in on her. After winning the Ultimate Battle and finally fulfilling their Charmed destiny, Piper felt this unbelievable freedom and now to learn about a new destiny felt like she was being pulled into a corner of a small room, being sucked into something that she didn't approve of. She was basically being forced to be this Matriarch, whether she liked it not.

Piper was about to speak when a dark haired demon shimmered into the vast room. He was dressed in a black leather pants with a dark gray long sleeved shirt with a black vest over it. His greasy hair was slicked back and he had a goatee.

"Leo, get the boys!" Piper ordered, raising her hands towards the demon.

Grams and Leo both hurried towards the toddlers to keep them safe while Piper stood up against the demon. Leo and Grams approached the boys as Wyatt raised his protective shield over them. The slightly transparent blue sheath folded over them, keeping them safe.

The Charmed One flicked her wrists with a great deal of force hoping to obliterate the demon but it only caused a small explosion against his broad chest, causing him to stumble backwards. "Uh oh," Piper said, contracting her hands.

The demon raised his right arm and with a swoop sent multiple purple energy balls towards her. Piper lifted her hands once more making her exploding power collide with the energy balls creating an energy wave that sent the demon to the ground. Piper whipped her head from side to side searching for something to attack the demon with while he was recovering from the blast. She finally settled on the charged athame next to the chalice on the potions table. Piper swiped it from the table, raised her arm and flung it forward releasing the athame. The double edged knife soared through the air and finally pierced the demon's chest.

The demon screamed as electrical currents surged through his body. The power from the athame increased and finally vanquished the demon, leaving only ashes behind. The knife dropped to the floor with a thud as Piper looked to the far corner of the room and saw the cloaked figure once more. "Leo!" Piper called out, pointing to the corner.

Leo hurried from the protective bubble to his wife, his eyes widening as he saw the figure. The figure disappeared instantaneously once more leaving the corner empty.

"Now tell me I'm imagining things." Piper said, placing her hands on her hips while eyeing her husband.

"But who is he and what does he want?" Leo asked.

"That's a good question and I tend to find out." Piper said, kneeling down to the floor to pick up the athame.

(-v-)

The figure appeared in a dark cavern that was occupied by a single male demon dressed in a black trench coat with dark belted pants and a black neck shirt. The room was lightened by a few wall torches that housed flickering flames.

"Well?" The demon asked as he stepped forward.

"She has been informed of her destiny," The figure replied.

"What will we do now?" The demon asked.

"We'll just see how this plays out and prepare for this coming war. This is one battle that the side of good will not be the victor of. I think it's about time that the demonic world rises above them all." The figure said.

The demon's mouth curved into an evil grin, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Once I rise to my full power, the Matriarch won't stand a chance." The figure said, laughing.

(-v-)

**I hope the second chapter was worth the wait so I'm looking forward to your reviews here and wherever the fic is posted. May they be good or bad, I'll take them. **

**Thanks to Phoenixlighter for allowing me to use dates in my fic, he did it first so I thought it only be polite to ask if I could follow suit. Thanks for the editing as well, how could I forget the envelope? ;)**

**Do yourselves a favour & check out Witchlighter if you haven't already, that fic inspired this one so it is definitely worth a read. Check my favourite stories for the link.**

**I just want to reassure all of you that even if the chapters aren't posted immediately, I do intend on finishing this series. I have many things planned but general life tends to take up much of my writing time but even though you might sometimes have to wait a while for the next chapter, rest assure that Matriarch won't be dying out soon. ****If you are interested in following the progress of the series, visit my profile page where everything will be posted.**

**Now, be nice & leave a pretty review for me… :)**


	3. Cruel Possessions

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone one of you who helped Matriarch reach 50 reviews with only 2 chapters. I really hope I can keep you all entertained and have you all come back for the rest of the series. Enjoy Chapter 3 and sorry for the delay!**

**Chapter 3 – Cruel Possessions**

**Teaserline: There's something twisted beneath the surface**

**(-v-)**

_August 8th, 2006_

Piper relaxed on the old pink Victorian couch with the Book of Shadows resting next to her. Her legs were comfortably resting on the couch next to the magical tome. She was still comfortably dressed in her lilac pajama pants and a black tank top. Her golden brown hair was tied back into a messy ponytail. The sun shone brightly through the stained glass windows of the vast room, bathing it in great light.

The witch sighed as she positioned the thick volume on her lap before opening it and slowly leafed through its pages before stopping at a particular page. It was her page; her prophecy. Piper stroked the beautifully written page before closing her eyes.

Two days had passed since she had discovered her destiny and she was still not sure how to come to terms with it. She and Grams did not part on good terms and that did not sit well with Piper at all. The pair had always been close and fighting with her was not something either of them cared for.

Piper reluctantly opened her eyes and forced herself to look upon the aged page once more as Leo strolled into the attic dressed in jeans and a blue dress shirt. His hair was still damp from the shower he had taken a few minutes before. "Morning. What are you doing up so early?"

"Reading. Thinking." Piper replied, closing the Book and placing it down next to her once more.

"Honey, I know this is a lot to grasp but you will get though this. We'll do it together." Leo assured his wife.

"You know? You keep throwing this 'we' word around and I don't see you having to deal with a prophecy like this." Piper said, annoyed.

Leo was about to speak but retracted his words, just lowering his head. Not daring to respond to his wife's comment.

Piper closed her eyes and released a breath before speaking again. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that."

Leo smiled at her. "I know you didn't. I've been married to you for five years already, remember?"

"I just don't know what to do, Leo. I mean I have never been the magically obsessed sister. Why would this be handed to me, the sister who is least likely to embrace magical situations? I'm as anti-Samantha Stevens as you can get." Piper asked.

Leo gave a slight chuckle at the "_Bewitched_" reference before taking on a serious tone. "I can't answer that, Piper. Sometimes destiny sees the potential we possess instead of seeing our resistance towards something. Maybe you have the power _and_ the potential to do this."

Piper lowered her legs from the couch and placed her bare feet firmly on the ground. "What if I don't?" Piper asked. "What if I go out there and I get myself killed? Our children will be the ones who will suffer in the end."

"If you don't do this the world will suffer. Do you want the kids to grow up in fear of the world outside the Manor?" Leo asked.

"Do you want them to grow up in fear _within_ the Manor?" Piper asked. "Face it, Leo; if I do this my kids will be living in fear, wondering when the next demon will burst through the door and what about you?"

Leo's forehead creased as he shook his head in slight confusion. "What about me?"

"Are you kidding me? You are mortal, Leo! One fireball and you are mortal toast," Piper pressed on. "I can't bare the thought that I could be responsible for sending you or my sons to an early grave. I'd never survive it."

"Piper..." Leo began.

"It doesn't matter what you say, Leo. I-I just can't do this. I can't go through another eight years of hell." Piper said, cradling her head in her hands.

"Is that what these last years have been? Hell?" Leo asked, hurt audible in his tone.

Piper looked up as she finally realized that she expressed her words in the wrong manner. "You know what I mean. I won't deny it, magic has brought some good things into my life but I can't just focus on that and ignore all the heartache that followed. I have been through so much; it's a miracle that I'm still standing here."

The mortal crossed the room towards his wife, lifted the leather-bound Book from the seat and placed it on the side table to the left of the couch. He finally set himself down and placed a supportive arm around her shoulders. "That's because you are strong, Piper. You've had your sisters and you've had me to give you that strength. Even after everything that has happened, you've come out of each battle stronger than before. If anyone can handle a destiny like this, it's you."

"I'm not so sure, Leo," Piper paused for a moment. "I'm scared. I have lost eight years of my life to one destiny, I just don't know if I'm ready to give another eight or more to another. There was so much I wanted to do and now I'm watching my dreams fall apart all over again."

"Like what?" Leo questioned, sincerely wanting to share in Piper's hopes and dreams.

"I wanted to be around for the kids more. I want to be there for Chris' first day at daycare; I want to be able to finally have a birthday party for him that won't be pushed back by ultimate battles. I'm tired of having to put everything concerning my children on the back burner," Piper expressed with sadness. "It's just not fair to them and especially not fair to Chris. In his nearly two short years of life he has always gotten the short end of the magical stick."

"I know that," Leo agreed.

"And I really wanted to make the club a greater success before I take my final bow." Piper said.

"Final bow?" Leo questioned.

"I still wanted to talk to you about that," Piper began. "I was thinking of selling the club and finally taking on my life aspiration of opening my own restaurant."

"You can still do all of those things, Piper. You've managed to build P3 up from the ground, vanquish countless evil entities, give birth and raise perfectly happy and healthy children and be a wonderful wife." Leo praised.

"I doubt that I'd be able to handle all of this and a lone destiny like this one. With the Charmed gig, I at least had my sisters to back me up but this time I'm all alone. I have no one." Piper explained.

"Piper, you need to realize how powerful you actually are. Yes, everything did feel safer with your sisters around but in a way they were holding you back from becoming the ultimate witch, so to speak. This will be your chance to..." Leo stopped speaking as Piper interrupted him.

"Leo, please, just... stop!" Piper swiftly rose from the couch and charged out of the room.

Leo sat alone for a few moments thinking on how he could help Piper accept the inevitable but the chore seemed more daunting by the minute. Two days ago he was ready to enjoy a normal and peaceful life with his family, he even tried to convince Piper that she had nothing magical to worry about, that was until her long foretold destiny came to light. Leo knew that he no longer could encourage Piper to have a normal life. From personal experience as a Whitelighter and an Elder, Leo knew that one could never run from Destiny and he knew it wouldn't be fair to Piper or the greater good if he held her back.

The mortal sighed as he lifted the Book of Shadows up into his arms, crossed the room and placed it back upon the wooden podium before leaving the attic. Once Leo stepped through the door and was finally out sight, the cover of the Book opened with thud as the pages began to magically flip on their own until it came to a halt at the "Matriarch" page.

(-v-)

Leo arrived in his and Piper's bedroom to find the closet door open. He sat down on the neatly made bed, peering towards the open closet. "Piper, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? Playing hide-and-go-seek? I'm getting dressed." Piper responded, stepping out of the closet straightening her jade green top that hung over her dark jeans.

"But where are you going?" Leo asked.

"I have interviews at the club today." Piper responded, walking over to her dressing table and sitting down to apply some make-up.

"Interviews for what?" Leo asked.

"I'm looking for an assistant manager so that I can be home more with the kids during the day and at the club at night. That way I don't have to be there for orders and stuff." Piper said.

"Piper, I know what you are doing." Leo said, arching an eyebrow.

"And that would be?" Piper asked, innocently.

"You are trying to run away from this," Leo replied.

"Leo, can we just put all this Matriarch discussion aside for now, please?" Piper asked, turning towards her husband. Leo wanted to protest but Piper beat him to the punch. "Don't make me use a spell on you." She warned.

"Okay, fine," Leo said, standing up from the bed and holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm going to get Wyatt ready for his play date."

Piper sighed as she watched Leo leave the room. She hated that they were tangled in a disagreement about the prophecy as well but she knew that it was simply Leo's inner Whitelighter that was rearing its head. He was trying to caution her and prepare her for the inevitable; that is just simply what he does. She knew in the end he'd support her decision but she also knew that this time she didn't have a decision to make. She was to become the Matriarch soon and there was nothing she could do about it except stubbornly resist it and try not to face the music.

Piper turned back towards the mirror pulling her black jeweled cosmetics box from the drawer.

(-v-)

Down in the Underworld, a secluded cavern was a hub of activity as demons were conversing in separate groups. It seemed that the room was the centre of many labyrinths. Torches were mounted against the walls to illuminate the darkened state of the cavern.

The assembly of demons turned their attention to the obvious lead demon stepping into the cavern followed by his two advisors. As he walked by his minions, his long leather coat flared out behind him. Underneath the coat he wore a black neck shirt with dark pants and dirty boots. His black hair was neatly combed to the side and his green eyes gave intimidating glares at his minions as he passed them.

"Davon, why did you call this gathering?" One demon asked, stepping forward.

"It concerns The Matriarch." Davon spoke.

"She exists?" A demoness asked, stunned.

"Yes unfortunately and not only is she the Matriarch but she also possesses the title of Charmed One," Davon explained. The demons began to loudly protest against the news. "Calm yourselves!" The head demon boomed.

The demons began to settle down and focused their attention on Davon once more.

"Davon, if she is in fact a Charmed One _and_ the Matriarch we stand no chance against her. She will be too powerful." The blonde haired demoness said.

"Her Matriarch powers will only manifest during the Solstice celebration so we still have an opportunity to defeat her. We have to find her Achilles heel; a way to get close to her." Davon said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Another demon asked.

"There is only one way we can get close to her and I have a particular demon in mind." Davon smirked.

(-v-)

Piper sat by the bar of P3 on one of the purple bar stools, writing on the notepad in front of her. Her hair was now pulled back into a sleek ponytail that rested over her shoulder.

"Hey, Piper." A male voice said.

Piper glanced towards the stairs and saw her bartender smiling at her. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. "Oh. Hi, Rex." Piper said with a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" Rex asked, coming down the remaining few steps and moving towards the bar.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Piper asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Come on, Piper, talk to me." Rex urged, making his away around the counter to behind the bar.

"I'm just having trouble finding a great assistant manager," Piper said. "I'm kind of tired of wasting my time; I mean, I have wasted my entire morning with people who don't even qualify to be street vendors let alone managers."

"I didn't know you were looking for an AM." Rex said.

"You wouldn't be interested, would you?" Piper asked.

"Not right now, no. I'm happy being the hardworking bartender. After all I've got those courses I'm working on during the day so I can only work at night." Rex explained as he and Piper shared a smile before both glancing to the stairs as they heard the club door shut.

"Hello?" A female voice came from the stairs and finally a young woman came down the stairs. Her long wavy brown hair cascaded over her shoulders as she walked. She was dressed in a tight fitting short sleeved white peasant blouse with a black pinstripe waistcoat over it and black pants. She smiled at Piper and Rex as she came down the final steps.

"Hi, can I help you?" Piper asked.

"I'm Charlie; I'm here for an interview." She smiled.

"I'll be in the office. I hope she's better than the rest." Rex whispered to his boss before leaving the bar.

Piper smiled at Charlie before offering her seat so that they could start with the interview.

(-v-)

Leo was standing behind the Book of Shadows speaking with Grams while she sat on the same couch that Piper was sitting on earlier that morning.

"I just don't know what to do about Piper. She just won't listen to reason." Leo said.

"Well stubbornness is a family trait and she learned from the best." Grams joked.

"This is serious, Penny. Piper must open her mind to the idea of her destiny otherwise she'll be in a constant struggle against it. She won't be able to prepare for the coming war." Leo said pacing in front of the podium.

"You must not tell Piper about the battle. She's not to know of it now, promise me." Grams urged, extending her index finger towards Leo.

"Of course I won't say anything," Leo promised. "I'm just afraid that if she doesn't embrace this destiny now she won't be ready for the battle and I'd rather not lose my wife."

"Well if she won't listen to me, who else is there?" Grams asked.

Leo thought for a moment before looking up at Grams. "I think I have an idea but I'm going to need your help."

Both Grams and Leo looked to the attic door as a sniffling Chris appeared in spheres of blue lights. "Hey, buddy. What happened?" Leo asked, hurrying to his youngest son.

Chris pushed back the hair in front of his forehead to reveal a red mark on his head. "Wyatt orbed da bl-ock." He sniffled.

Leo's grew angry as he lifted his son into his arms. "Excuse me, Penny; I have to go take care of Wyatt real quick." Leo said, making his way out of the attic.

"Magical boys will be magical boys, Leo!" Grams yelled after him before giving a sigh and standing up from the couch. She moved towards the Book of Shadows and placed her hand on the open page. "Maybe there is just one person who can get through to Piper." Grams mumbled to herself.

(-v-)

Leo strolled into Wyatt's room still holding Chris in his arms. The blonde haired boy was sitting on his bed playing with his fire truck.

"Wyatt, did you orb a block and hit your brother in the head?" Leo asked, placing a fussing Chris down.

"I didn't mean to," Wyatt said, looking up at his father.

"Wyatt, Mommy and Daddy have told you before not to use your powers without permission," Leo said. "Especially not on other people."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Wyatt said, sadly.

"I'm sorry too, buddy, but I'm going to have to give you a time out until you have learned your lesson." Leo said.

Wyatt lowered his head and within seconds he was surrounded by swirling orbs that carried him away.

"Wyatt!" Leo bellowed at his disobedient son. He turned towards Chris as he heard the familiar sounds of orbing; Chris disappeared in orbs as well. "Oh come on, I'm not in the mood for orbing games." Leo turned on his heel and hurried out of the room in search of his sons.

(-v-)

Davon stood in the center of his lair, his head lowered, his eyes shut tight. He took a breath and then raised his head as a young demoness rippled into the room. She wore belted leather pants with pointed knee-length boots and a long sleeved black top with a black bodice over it. Her dark hair was straightened with her heavy bangs brushing her eyebrows.

"Davon, it's been a long time." The demoness said.

"How've you been, Dylan?" Davon enquired.

"Oh, just living the typical life of a demon, getting my nails manicured, killing an innocent or two. You know, the usual." Dylan said.

"You always had a great sense of humour." Davon smirked.

"Thank you," Dylan smiled, shifting her weight to her right leg and folding her arms over her chest. "So do what do I owe this summons?"

"I have a little mission for you." Davon said.

"If it's a "little mission" why'd you call upon me?" Dylan asked. "You know I'm used to big gigs."

"Though this mission might seem little to you, I have a feeling you're the only one who can get close to her." Davon explained.

"And whom may this "her" be?" Dylan asked.

"The Matriarch." Davon answered.

"You mean Piper Halliwell? The Charmed One?" Dylan asked.

"That's the one. With the powers you have gained since your days at the academy you'll be able to get close to her, infiltrate her life and then kill her." Davon informed.

"Davon, you of all demons should know that I don't have an ounce of patience in me. I don't have the patience to sit around and drink tee while making nice with a witch." Dylan said.

Davon moved closer to the young demoness and placed his hands on her shoulders before he spoke. "I need your talents for this one, Dylan, especially the possessing talent to have acquired for yourself. You can tap into the mind of the one you'll be possessing, that way the witch won't suspect you. You have come a long way since being a young girl wanting to join the league of evil, now it's time for you to prove your worth."

Dylan turned back to Davon as her mouth curved into an evil grin. "Fine, I accept the mission."

"Good choice." Davon smiled.

(-v-)

"Your résumé is very impressive," Piper said, looking through the folder. "You're a singer?"

"Yes, but not professionally anymore," Charlie answered.

"So I see you have managed a few clubs." Piper said.

"I was actually the waitress and the performer at some of them until I got promoted to manager." Charlie explained.

"Where have you managed clubs before?" Piper asked.

"I was in New York for a while until I decided to move back home, to San Francisco." Charlie explained.

Piper gave a slight chuckle.

"What's funny?" Charlie asked, her mouth curving into a small grin.

"Oh, you just remind me of my sister," Piper answered.

"How so?" Charlie asked.

"Well, she lived in New York for a while too before moving back here." Piper explained.

"Do you only have one sister?" Charlie asked.

"Two actually. Well, three, my one sister passed away some time ago." Piper replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Piper." Charlie said.

"Thanks," Piper smiled before looking back down at the papers in her hands. "Well, everything seems great here so the only question is when can you start?"

"I got the job?" Charlie asked, surprised.

"You are by far the best candidate I've seen all day and I'd be an idiot if I let you slip through my fingers." Piper said, closing the folder and handing it back to Charlie.

"I can start anytime you want," Charlie said, placing the folder back in her rather large purse.

"How about tonight?" Piper asked.

"Perfect." Charlie responded.

Piper smiled at Charlie. She felt this strange connection to the young girl, like she knew her from some place but she was drawing a blank.

"Do your sisters come here often? I'd really like to meet them sometime." Charlie said.

"Actually Paige has just moved to Boston and Phoebe is away for a writing course but you should meet her soon." Piper responded.

"Boston, that sure is far." Charlie said.

"Yeah, her husband got transferred so they had to pack up and hit the road." Piper said.

Charlie studied Piper for a moment. "You miss her, don't you?" She asked.

"It's really new to me, my sisters and I have always been extremely close and it's a bit of an adjustment not to have them around all the time. I feel pretty alone." Piper admitted.

"I know the feeling; I haven't been home in years. I don't know many people here anymore." Charlie said.

Piper jumped down from her stool and walked around the counter to behind the bar and pulled out two mineral waters from the fridge. She handed one of the bottles to Charlie and kept the one for herself. "Well here's to the start of a great friendship then." She said, holding up her bottle.

Charlie smiled while lifting her bottle as well and clinking it with Piper's. "I could use a friend,"

"Hey, Piper, could you come to the storeroom please?" Rex asked, sticking his head out from the room.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked.

"I just need you to sign off on the stock so that I can unpack some of the boxes." Rex said.

"Sure," Piper said, placing her bottle on the counter and moving towards the storeroom. "I'll be right back." She said to Charlie.

Charlie nodded as she sat back in her chair and scanned the club. She loved the dark violet walls of the club and she was quite impressed by all the acts that had performed at P3 in its seven years of existence. She admired Piper's ability to keep the club looking hip but still helping to cater to a wide range of clientele.

Unbeknownst to Charlie, the dark haired demoness shimmered into the room. She crept forward making sure not to startle Charlie. The young girl listened intently as she sensed someone else in the room. She turned to see the demoness standing near her. "Who are you?" She asked, standing up from her chair.

"What is it with you people and introductions?" Dylan said, irritably before tilting her head. "Well I'm a demoness and I'll be possessing you today." Dylan hurried towards Charlie and melded their bodies together, a bright light washed over the young girl. Charlie's eyes closed as the demoness settled within her. When she opened her eyes they were pitch black; with a blink, her eyes were restored to their normal brown colour.

Dylan moved her shoulders around, trying to familiarize herself with the new body. She smirked before speaking. "Interesting little secrets you are keeping. They should come in handy."

"Dylan?" Davon said as he stepped out of the shadows.

"In the flesh," Dylan said, twirling around.

"Get close to her to the point where she trusts you and then you can attack her when the time is right. I have endowed you with enough power to take her on so don't you dare disappoint me or I will send you to the Wasteland myself." Davon instructed.

"Don't worry yourself, Davon; I might just have enough power to take the witch down." Dylan said.

"Excellent. Watch your back." Davon said before his body was overcome by his shimmering power, teleporting him away.

"This is going to be fun," Dylan smirked.

(-v-)

Leo made his way down the stairs to the ground floor still in search of his sons. "Wyatt! Chris!" He called out. "Okay, boys, this isn't funny anymore!" The mortal ducked out of the way of an orbing building block. He scanned the room once more as he heard Wyatt giggling. "Wyatt, where are you?" He turned towards the dining room as he heard jingling sounds. Wyatt appeared in the corner of the room, smiling mischievously. "Come to Daddy, Wyatt." Leo said, holding out his arms to his son.

"No!" Wyatt said as he ran towards the sun room.

Leo hurried towards his son and also found Chris sitting in his toy corner playing with Wuvey, Wyatt's teddy bear. Wyatt's little face resembled the color of a tomato as he stared at his teddy bear in his brother's hands. "That's mine!" Wyatt yelled, grabbing the bear from Chris' grasp.

"No!" Chris called out as the teddy bear disappeared in spheres of blue lights and reappeared in Chris' arms. "Mine!" Chris lowered his little head and was instantly consumed by orbs and carried away.

"Chris!" Leo called out to his son. He was becoming quite fed up with the magical games his sons were playing.

"Daddy, Chris took Wuvey!" Wyatt complained on the verge of tears.

Leo knelt down next to Wyatt before he spoke. "Okay, buddy. I'll make you a deal; I'll help you get Wuvey back if you promise not to use your powers again today, okay?"

"Oh-kay," Wyatt drawled.

"You promise?" Leo asked, raising his eyebrows.

Wyatt nodded his head. "Promise."

"Okay, let's go find your brother." Leo said, lifting his oldest son up into his arms.

As Leo made his way to the stairs, Grams descended them and reached the floor. "Leo, I have to go back now."

"But I need your help with Piper and what I want to do," Leo said.

"It's already taken care of; just make sure Piper discovers it." Grams said.

"How did you…" Leo began.

"I have known you for many years, Leo; I knew what you were thinking all along," Grams smiled as she winked at him. Grams turned her attention to Wyatt. "Goodbye, Wyatt."

"Bye, Great Grams." Wyatt smiled.

Grams closed her eyes as she was enveloped by swirling white lights. Slowly but surely she began to disappear until she was finally gone.

"Okay, buddy, time to find your brother." Leo said, patting Wyatt's back and ascending the stairs.

(-v-)

Piper stepped back into the vast room to find Charlie or rather Dylan, still sitting at the bar, inspecting the club. "Sorry that took so long," Piper said, coming up to her.

"No problem, I was just admiring your good taste." Dylan said.

"Well, I can't take all the credit. My sister Prue helped me a lot. I wanted the walls to be a crimson red but she said it would look like a hub for evil so we decided on the purple." Piper explained, sitting back on her stool once more.

"Prue is the sister that died, right?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah," Piper responded.

"That's pretty sad. How did it happen?" Dylan asked, trying to gain Piper's trust.

"Oh, it's a very long story and I'd rather not get into it if you don't mind." Piper said.

"Of course. I didn't mean to pry." Dylan said.

"You're not prying at all; it's just not my favorite subject to talk about." Piper admitted.

Dylan lowered her head. She was not one the most patient demons out there and she had no desire to spend hours or even days getting close to Piper. She was ready for a fight even if she now had to go against Davon's orders. She glanced at Piper once more before speaking. "Death is a hard thing to deal with, but I have a feeling you won't have such a hard time dealing with yours."

Piper looked up at the young girl, her brow furrowing. "Excuse me?"

"Get ready to die, witch!" Dylan said, jumping off of the stool and thrusting out both of her hands and sending white power beams towards Piper.

Piper jumped from the stool as the beams obliterated the chair. She fell face first to the ground and groaned as she pushed herself up. Piper raised her one hand, flicked her wrist and sent a powerful blast towards Dylan as she jumped to her feet.

The blast hit Dylan against the chest and caused her to soar across the room. She collided into some of the single round purple tables, causing the red candle lanterns to fall to the floor, shattering upon impact.

"Piper?" Rex's voice came from the storeroom.

Piper glanced towards the storeroom. As Rex was about to step into the room, Piper raised her hands and released her freezing power upon him, stopping him in his tracks before he could see anything. The witch turned back to Charlie as she stood up from the ground.

"Ouch, that hurts." Dylan said, holding out her palm and summoning a weapon. In a flash of crimson light, a dagger appeared within her hand.

"Before you kill me, what did you have to gain from coming for a job interview? Why get close to me just to kill me within fifteen minutes?" Piper asked, holding up her hands to defend herself.

"You stupid, witch, one would think you would have figured that one out long ago. Besides, I don't usually go for pretty girls." Dylan said, launching the dagger towards Piper.

Panic rose within Piper as she flicked her wrists and froze the dagger a few feet from her chest. She raised her one hand and launched another blast at the demon.

The blast smacked Dylan in the shoulder and sent her crumbling to the floor. "Don't you think this is over, witch, I'll be back." The demoness said, holding onto her shoulder as she shimmered away.

"I wish demons would quite saying that," Piper complained before letting out a breath as she turned back to a frozen Rex. "How am I going to explain this?" She mumbled to herself.

The witch decided the best thing to do was to make a run for it. She hurried to the back of the bar, grabbed her purse from underneath the counter and made her way out behind it. Piper halted and eyed Charlie's purse that was still resting over the chair where she had sat just a few minutes ago. She swiped the large leather purse from the chair and made a run for it. Piper halted next to the frozen dagger and swiped it out of the air before she jogged up the stairs and once the entrance door closed behind her, her freezing effect over Rex ended.

Rex stepped out of the storeroom, confused to find no one in the club. He looked over to the far side of the room near the stage and saw the overturned tables and the shattered candle lanterns. "What the…" He began, bringing his hand up to his head.

(-v-)

Piper rushed through the stained glass doors of the manor crying out for her husband. "Leo? Leo, I've got a problem." She waited for a response before moving towards the living room and saw her husband and both her sons sitting in the sunroom.

"So do I." Leo responded standing up and moving towards his wife.

Piper studied her sons and saw that both of them looked quite upset. "What's going on?" She asked turning to Leo.

"Let's just say it's been a long morning," Leo said. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'll explain on the way to that big Book in the attic." Piper said as she moved forward and picked Chris up from the floor while readjusting Charlie's bag on her shoulder before moving towards the stairs.

(-v-)

"How sure are you that she's not a demon?" Leo asked, making a quick glance towards his sons who were playing on opposite sides of the room, occasionally glaring at one another.

"There was just something off with her, in the beginning she didn't seem like demon." Piper explained, paging through the Book of Shadows.

"Jeremy didn't seem like a warlock at first either," Leo reminded.

Piper glanced up at her husband before she spoke. "Ouch, that was a low blow and for defense sake, my instincts pretty much sucked back then."

"Fair enough, so what makes you think there's more going on?" Leo questioned, moving closer to the podium.

"Just the way she was acting and the whole thing seems fishy to me. I mean why would the demon waste fifteen minutes before attempting to kill me? I could understand a couple of days but what would she have to gain from fifteen minutes?" Piper stopped paging through the Book and moved towards the table where she had placed Charlie's bag when they had entered the attic a few moments earlier.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

Piper remained silent as she tossed the bag out onto the table. Many objects scattered across the table namely a cellphone, a day planner and her résumé among other things. Piper lifted the day planner and began to leaf through it.

"Anything?" Leo asked.

"Well I've discovered that this demon is well organized." Piper quipped. "She's got hair and nail appointments, lunches with old friends in New York... this demon seems very normal to me."

Leo frowned as he stepped closer to the table and picked up Charlie's sidekick cellphone. He flipped open the white phone and checked through her contacts. "I think you might be right about her." Leo said.

"Why? What did you find?" Piper questioned moving closer to her husband.

"Why would a demon have a contact for her grandmother?" Leo asked, continuing to search through the phone. "And pictures of random friends?"

Piper thought for a moment before returning to the Book. She began flipping through the pages once more until she finally found the page she was searching for. "Found it," She announced looking up at Leo. Leo moved closer to his wife to see the page before she turned to speak to him. "The lovely Possessor demons; they're really like a plague."

"Weren't you with her the whole time? Where would the demon have found the time to possess her?" Leo asked.

"That's true... no wait, I left her for a little while when I had to help Rex out with the release of the stock. That's probably when the demon took her over. Figures I should have been expecting this since our little shadow friend appeared in the attic a couple of days ago," Piper moved around the podium and strolled towards the potions table. "Also she said something about not usually going for pretty girls; clearly that was a clue to her possessor demon status."

"So what now?" Leo asked.

"Well, first on the menu is a dispossessing potion followed by a vanquishing potion for dessert." Piper quipped.

"And if it's not a possessor demon?" Leo asked.

"I'll just make a few extra potions in case then, until we can find out what is going on." Piper said, lowering her head and measuring off potion ingredients.

Leo remained silent, while secretly smiling at his wife. Piper ceased movement as she glanced up at Leo. "What?" She asked.

"Just admiring you and the way you are handling all of this." Leo admitted.

"Before this conversation heads to what you are hinting at please enlighten me on what has been going on with our children." Piper said, returning to her potion making.

"They are kind of overusing their magic." Leo said.

"They? Meaning Chris too?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, I mean your dad did tell us that Chris orbed Wyatt back to him after the Hollow incident but his powers have been advancing quite a lot. He's orbing around, orbing things away from Wyatt, Wyatt's orbing toys into him..." Leo said.

"They're using their powers on each other?" Piper asked, worriedly.

"Yeah," Leo answered.

"How are we supposed to fix that?" Piper asked.

"You just worry about your demon and I'll worry about our magical boys." Leo said, moving over to Chris, who had now fallen asleep on a large throw pillow in the corner of the attic with his favorite blanket clutched in his hand and pulled up to his chest.

(-v-)

Dylan, still in possession of Charlie's body, rippled into the Underworld lair. As the shimmering power wore off, she was finally revealed. Davon was standing in the far corner of the room, his head lowered, his eyes closed shut and his left hand cupped his chin. "You failed," He said, barely moving.

"Would you please get out of my head?" An annoyed Dylan said as she marched forward.

"What was that agreement we had?" Davon asked, now lifting his eyes to his useless servant. "Oh yes, that's right. You succeed or you will be sent to the Wasteland. Can't break my promise, now can I?" He raised his hand about to bring it down for the deadly vanquishing blow.

Dylan raised her hands. "Now let's not be hasty." She chuckled nervously. "I can still get the witch, it's not impossible to defeat her."

Davon lowered his arm. "Alright, enlighten me on how you plan to do that and if your plan is satisfactory you may live, if not… well you get the idea."

"There are some secrets hidden within this mortal; she might just be the weapon we've been searching for." Dylan said with a seductive smile.

"Indeed?" Davon questioned, his interest now peaked. "Tell me more,"

(-v-)

Piper stood over the chalice as she added the final ingredient to her vanquishing potion. As the ingredient reached the liquid, a small explosion erupted and a plume of smoke rose from the chalice before dissipating a few moments later. Piper glanced towards the door as she saw Leo re-enter the attic. "The potions are done," She announced. "Are the boys okay?"

"Yes, they are both down for late afternoon naps. I guess using so much magic has tired them out," Leo said, moving closer to Piper and inspecting the line of potions assembled on the table. "What are all these?"

Piper dipped the white baster into the chalice and drew up the potion into it before releasing it into a potion vial. "Well, first we have a dispossessing potion followed by a hand grenade potion, an acid potion, an exploding potion with just a hint of extra kick and a lovely Possessor demon vanquishing potion to finish everything off." Piper said, lifting up the potion vial that now contained the light blue liquid she had injected into it.

"Your culinary humor is very entertaining," Leo smiled.

"Thank you," Piper smiled, placing the vial next to her other ready made potions. "Are you sure the boys are fine?" Piper turned back to Leo and placed her hands firmly on her waist.

"I know you are worried about their excessive use of magic but we'll figure out how to handle it. Right now you have to focus on being ready for this demon. How are you going to find her?" Leo asked.

Piper lifted the dagger up from the table and showed it to her husband. "My demon friend left this behind and with it I'm going to scry for her." The witch walked over to the other table a few feet from the potions table where all her scrying tools were laid out including a map of San Francisco and a purple scrying crystal that hung from a thin string. Piper raised the crystal into her hand and tied the string around the handle of the dagger before slowly letting down the crystal and holding onto the handle of the dagger. With a circular motion of her wrist, Piper began to move the crystal over the map, in search of the demoness.

A few moments later Leo moved closer to his wife while inspecting the still swerving crystal. "Anything yet?" He asked.

"No, not even a pull. Wherever she is it must be protected." Piper responded, while still moving the crystal over the map.

"There's no need to look for me when I'm right here," Dylan said.

Piper and Leo both looked up to see Dylan standing across the room. "Thanks for making my search easier then." Piper said.

Dylan brought her hand up to her lips and let out a gust of icy white mist. Leo grabbed Piper by the waist and pulled her out of harms way as the icy mist collided with a lamp at the back of the room and it instantly covered it with a thick layer of ice.

"Now that's what I call a freezing power; it's not as pathetic as yours." Dylan spat, admiring her handy work on the lamp.

Piper pushed herself up from the ground, her eyes darting from Dylan to her husband. "Leo, get to the boys." Leo hesitated for a moment not knowing what to do. Stay there to protect his wife or head downstairs to their children. Piper flashed him a scared look "Now!" She ordered.

Leo nodded as he charged for the door as Dylan set her sights on him. "Not so fast, hubby." Dylan said, lifting her hand once more to unleash her frosty power.

Piper raised her hands and the traveling icy mist came to a halt as Piper's freezing power took effect. "Go!" She yelled to Leo. He did as he was told and soon he was gone from sight. Piper flicked her wrist and obliterated the frozen mist, sending small particles of it across the room.

"Now why did you have to go and do that?" Dylan said, thrusting her hands out and releasing the blue stream of light towards Piper.

Piper jumped to the floor and did a somersault towards the potions table. "Good thing I took those Tae Bo classes with Phoebe," Piper mumbled to herself as she got to her feet and swiped the dispossessing potion for the table.

"That potion won't do anything to me, I'm too powerful now." Dylan said.

"Wanna bet?" Piper said, raising her arm and hurling the potion to Dylan's feet.

The potion exploded and made its way up Dylan's body but did not harm her at all. The white fumes from the potion traveled into her nostrils, mouth and eyes and seconds later emerged as black smoke. Her eyes flashed black as Charlie groaned and fell to the floor with a thud. Dylan was now in her original body glaring at Piper. "I guess I underestimated you," Dylan said.

"You stupid demons tend to do that," Piper said in a mock tone.

"I'll show you how _stupid _I am," Dylan said, thrusting out her right arm, releasing a deadly beam. Piper tried to jump out of the way of the oncoming beam when it smacked her in the shoulder and sent her crashing into the scrying table. Two of the table legs broke, the map tore and the crystal shattered as it reached the floor. Piper closed her eyes and groaned loudly in pain.

(-v-)

Wyatt sat on his bed and listening to the commotion above him with his father sitting beside him with Chris on his lap.

"It's okay, boys, Mommy will be okay." Leo assured his sons while bouncing Chris on his knee.

With his eyes still fixed on the ceiling, Wyatt was immediately consumed by blue and white spheres of light that carried him away.

"Wyatt?!" Leo called out. Fear rose within Leo as he knew his son had gone up to the attic to help his mother. The mortal quickly placed Chris in the corner of the room. "You stay here, buddy, okay? Play with your toys." He rushed out of the room, hoping he'd make it to the attic in time.

(-v-)

Dylan advanced towards an injured Piper who was barely moving as Wyatt appeared in dazzling lights in front of her.

"Awe, the cute little baby has come to save his mommy," Dylan mocked, pouting before looking back towards Piper. "You clearly don't deserve the name Matriarch if your son has to fight your battles for you!"

Wyatt's little face became angry, his cheeks a rosy red. "Leave my mommy alone!" He said, raising his hand up in front of him. With a mighty blast, Dylan was hurled backwards, smacking her into the far wall of the attic and falling onto the old iron bed that was covered with old dusty sheets.

Leo entered the attic and rushed towards Piper to help her up. Piper pushed the pain away in her shoulder and with Leo's help made it to her feet. With her right hand, she swiped the vanquishing potion from the table and moved closer to her son.

Dylan collected herself from the floor and smiled at the Twice-Blessed Child. "You've got some great power, little boy; you might be a much better weapon than the girl."

"Wanna see some power, Lady?" Piper said as she hurled the potion as Dylan's chest.

The vial shattered against Dylan's chest and the potion began to take effect. Dylan's body was consumed by the blazing fire and with an up rise of flames and bone-chilling screams, she was gone.

Piper winced in pain as drops of thick red liquid dripped onto the floor from her injured shoulder. " Mommy, come here," Wyatt said, gesturing with his hand for Piper to lower herself. Piper did as her son asked. The young boy held his tiny hand over the bleeding wound and within seconds a golden glow emanated from it, unleashing his healing power. The blood vanished and so did the wound; it seemed as if Piper had never been injured to begin with.

"Thanks, buddy." Piper said, pulling Wyatt into her arms.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

Piper let go of her son and stood up to face her husband. "I just didn't react quickly enough and I got hit by one of her power beams. How did Wyatt get up here?" Piper asked.

"He orbed," Leo said. "I couldn't stop him; he must have sensed that you were in danger."

"Speakin' of being in danger, I think we're in for some exposure danger right now," Piper said, pointing to Charlie who was looking towards them, her forehead creased with confusion. Piper hurried to the girl and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Charlie studied the room and brought her hand up to her pounding head. "I think so, what happened?" She asked turning to Piper.

"What do you remember?" Piper asked.

"Lots of things I wish I didn't remember." Charlie said.

"Charlie, please let me explain…" Piper began, slightly panicked.

Charlie moved forward while still inspecting the room, her forehead creased as she spoke. "I've been here before."

"What?" Piper asked, stunned.

"When I was little, my grandma brought me here right after my parents died," Charlie explained. "This is my Aunt Penny's house." Charlie turned back to Piper in shock.

"Penny was my grandmother," Piper said.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Charlie asked.

"Are you a witch?" Piper asked.

"Yes, I am." Charlie responded.

"And I guess that ice blowing power that our friendly demon used on me belongs to you?" Piper asked as Charlie nodded. "I'd say you're a descendant of Prudence Bowen, aren't you?"

"She was my great grandmother; she used to live here back in the 20's." Charlie responded.

"Well the surprises just keep on coming this week, don't they?" Piper quipped. "Is that why you came to the club for an interview?"

"I didn't know that we were at all related, Piper, I just flipped open the paper and saw the ad." Charlie replied.

"Maybe it was fate that brought you two together." Leo suggested.

"Yeah, but why?" Piper asked.

"Only the cosmos know that answer, Piper." Leo said.

Piper looked back to Charlie feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Why don't you and I have a little chat down in the kitchen while Leo takes care of the boys?" Piper asked, turning from Charlie to Leo.

"That's fine with me," Leo responded.

"I think we both could use a nice cup of tea after the day we've had," Piper said to Charlie.

The young girl nodded as she and Piper made their way out of the attic, leaving Leo alone with his son. "You and me have to have a little talk, young man." Leo said, scooping Wyatt up into his arms and moving towards the attic door.

(-v-)

Davon sat on his stone throne, thinking intently when one of his advisors stepped into his Underworld cavern. He was dressed in black trousers and a buttoned up black collar coat.

"Are you aware that Dylan failed?" The advisor asked.

"I'm well aware of that, thank you." Davon responded. "And _he_ is not be thrilled by it." Davon stood up from his throne and slowly began to pace the room.

"You're speaking about the Ultimate Evil, aren't you?" The advisor questioned following the every movement of his master with his dark eyes.

"He's not quite the Ultimate Evil yet, but give him time, he will be soon." Davon said.

"What do you know of him?" The advisor asked.

"Plenty but everyone will discover more about him in due time, as it's not my place to divulge anything of his past until he's ready." Davon said.

"What do you plan to do in the mean time?" The advisor asked.

"First I must to travel to the Wasteland," Davon said.

"For what purpose?" The advisor asked.

"He has asked that I retrieve Dylan before it's too late. He has a divine plan for her apparently." Davon said, stepping by his advisor to tend to his orders.

(-v-)

Piper curved her fingers around the handle and removed the black kettle from the hot stove plate, turning the white knob to extinguish the flames before tipping the kettle. She allowed the boiling water to slowly pour into the white-blue rimmed mugs she had lined out on the table.

Charlie sat by the table near the large window of the kitchen. Her hands were clasped together and she gave a nervous glance at Piper before looking down at her hands. Piper also glanced up for a second before placing the kettle back down. She picked up the silver spoon and stirred the tea bag around in each of the cups before removing them and placing them aside. She raised the milk jug, tipped it and added a small amount of the white liquid to each of the cups. The witch placed the jug down and lifted both the cups into both her hands and carefully carried them over to the table.

"Here you go," Piper said, holding out the cup to Charlie.

"Thank you," Charlie nodded, taking the cup from Piper.

Piper smiled slightly before sitting herself down on the chair opposite Charlie. "So?"

"So?" Charlie echoed.

"This is kinda awkward, huh?" Piper said.

"Oh, yeah," Charlie agreed, taking a sip of her hot beverage. "I'm sorry that I attacked you."

"Oh, forget about it. You're not really family unless you go demonic on your relatives at least twice," Piper joked. "You've got one more demonic possession to go."

Charlie lowered her head and smiled. She began to feel a little more comfortable in Piper's company and she could tell that Piper was doing her best to make Charlie feel that way. "Listen, Piper, I don't have any expectations. You don't know me and I don't expect you to accept me with open arms."

"I'll admit, I have never been quite open to the idea of long lost relatives. I mean Paige only came into our lives after Prue died and it took me a while to finally accept her as my sister and now I can't imagine my life without her so I think there's a good chance that we'll be just fine," Piper assured her new cousin. "We still have a lot to learn about each other and we aren't going to cover everything in one night."

"I know, but I'm willing to take the time if you are," Charlie said. "My Gran always said family is the most important thing in the world."

"It might be a while before we bond as cousins but I think we've sort of got the friendship thing down for now, that's something at least." Piper said.

"I think I'm fine with the friendship thing for now too," Charlie said.

"Good," Piper smiled, taking a sip of her tea.

"Not to push it or anything but I was wondering..." Charlie began but hesitated to speak further.

"What?" Piper questioned.

"Do I still have the job at P3?" Charlie asked, giving a nervous smile.

"Of course you do," Piper smiled.

Charlie's face washed with relief as she smiled. "Thanks, Piper."

"It's what friends are for, right?" Piper asked.

"Right," Charlie said, sipping on her tea once more.

(-v-)

Night had fallen over San Francisco as many club goers stood in line outside under the teal awning of P3, waiting patiently to get inside the bustling club. Charlie checked on the bouncer outside to make sure everything was in order before heading back into the main room of the club. She started down the stairs in a lacy black top with dark jeans and pointy boots. Her flat ironed hair hung loosely over her shoulders. She smiled and greeted a few people politely as she maneuvered her way through the dancing crowd to get to the bar. Once she had reached her destination, Charlie stepped in behind the bar to help an overwhelmed Rex. Two of the bartenders had called in sick and Rex was struggling to keep up with all the drink orders and some clients didn't appreciate the long wait for their refreshments.

Rex gave a sigh of relief as he saw Charlie removing a martini glass from glass rack above her and serving one of the customers. "Thanks, Charlie." Rex yelled over the loud music.

"It's what I'm here for," Charlie smiled before grabbing the needed liquor to create the Martini while tapping her foot to the beat of music. She smiled, feeling quite content with her new position and the new discovery she had made that day.

(-v-)

Leo sat at the dining room table with his hands clasped together and resting on the table. He was dressed in baggy gray pants and an emerald green long sleeved shirt. He glanced to his left as he saw Piper, wearing a black jog suit approaching him with the Book of Shadows in her arms. Her long dark hair was tied back into a low ponytail. She laid the Book down at the head of the table before pulling out the chair and sitting down.

"How's Charlie doing?" Leo asked.

"It seems like she has everything under control," Piper responded. "I think she's going to do just fine at the club."

"Good, that's good," Leo said. "So you two are getting along fine?"

"Oddly enough, yes. You know I would usually freak out by the discovery of another long lost relative but when Charlie came for the interview, I connected with her and I wanted to be friends with her. I think by me accepting her as a potential friend, I just might accept her easier as my cousin." Piper explained.

"That's great," Leo said.

"Yeah, well don't expect the same reaction if another long lost relative shows up." Piper smirked.

"Why did you bring the Book down?" Leo asked.

Piper ran her fingers across the crimson bookmark and opened the Book to where it was resting. "This is why," Piper said, glancing at the page and then back at Leo.

Leo studied the page before looking up at Piper. "The Binding Spell?"

"We need to face the facts that this might be the only way for the boys." Piper said.

"Piper…" Leo began.

"Leo, if the boys are using their magic on each other, it has to be taken seriously. They nearly killed each other in the future and I don't want that to happen too now because they aren't clear with the dangers." Piper said.

"But binding their powers, isn't that a little extreme? Weren't you the one that was against binding a child's powers before we even had the boys?" Leo asked.

"Things have changed, Leo. I'm afraid that they won't be able to handle their powers. What if it becomes too much for them?" Piper asked. "What if they hurt each other or worse, innocent people?"

"I had the same doubts but Wyatt seemed to have handled his power pretty well in the attic." Leo reminded.

Piper sighed, thinking for a moment. It was true, if it weren't for her son she probably wouldn't be sitting there in the first place. "I just don't want them to get hurt, Leo."

"I know you don't and neither do I, but taking away their powers will leave them more vulnerable to attacks. At least Wyatt is learning to master his powers in such a way that he is able to protect himself and need be, his brother too. Piper, we can't just take away their magic like Grams did to you and your sisters. Do you remember how you felt about Grams taking away your powers?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Piper responded.

"Do you want our sons to feel like they lost a part of themselves growing up as well?" Leo asked.

"Wow, you really are striking low today." Piper joked.

Leo's features remained serious. "Let's just see how things go and when push comes to shove we can discuss binding their powers."

"Alright," Piper agreed, closing the Book and placing her hands on the leather cover. "You know I sort of wish we still had Magic School for the boys. They could be learning so much."

"I know, but the time will come when we have to claim back the school and I know you and your sisters will be on the front line." Leo said.

"Looking forward to it," Piper smirked.

"There is actually something I wanted to talk to you about," Leo said.

"Is something wrong?" Piper asked.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just everything that's happened with the boys today got me thinking..." Leo explained.

"Oh, is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Piper smiled.

Leo's mouth curved into a grin before he spoke again. "I'm not sure yet but I think it's time for me to get out into the real world. Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of the kids but Chris will be going to daycare soon and then I'll be sitting at the manor doing nothing until they come back."

"So what you are saying is that you want to get a job?" Piper asked.

"Yes, I want to help carry the financial burden around the house and to support my family." Leo said.

"Leo, I love that you want to help around the house money-wise, but you getting a job is not as easy as it seems." Piper said.

"I know that but this is something I really want to do," Leo explained. "Not just for money-sake, but for my sake too."

"Okay, if this is really something you want to do, we'll work something out." Piper said, taking Leo's hand in hers.

"Thanks, honey," Leo said, giving Piper's hand a squeeze. "I'm going to tuck in the boys," Leo pushed himself up from the chair, placing a kiss on Piper's head before heading towards the stairs.

Piper sighed softly as she listened to Leo's footsteps becoming faint as he continued up the stairs. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about the day's events and trying to process it all. She had faced her first demon alone and she did fine for the most part but she still doubted if she could do it again. She worried for her children and didn't want to place them in constant danger but Leo was right, without their powers, they _would_ be in more danger. At that moment Piper opened her eyes, deciding to put her mind at rest for the time being. A nice hot bath was the best way to push all her cares away. The Charmed One stood up from the table, sliding the Book of Shadows off of it before lifting it into her arms before moving towards the stairs.

(-v-)

Piper moved into the attic, still carrying the Book in her arms. She crossed the room towards the wooden podium and placed the Book on its rightful place before turning on her heel and walking towards the door. The cover of the Book of Shadows opened on its own and the pages began to turn. Piper turned as she recognized the familiar jingle that accompanied the flipping pages.

"It can't be..." Piper breathed as she slowly moved back towards the Book. The aged pages soon ceased movement as Piper came closer and situated herself behind the podium to read the page the Book had opened to. A moment later Piper's mouth curved into a satisfied smile as her eyes read the entry. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at the ceiling before closing the Book. "Thank you, Prue."

(-v-)

**Well I hope that was a nice cliffhanger ending for you all. I'm sure you are wondering what Prue wrote, but rest assured that you'll be discovering that soon. I'm also sorry that this chapter was delayed, I have personal issues at the moment so that might mean that chapter 4 might have to be pushed back so that's why I rushed to get this done to post this chapter because I feel horrid for making you all wait. If there are errors or mistakes somewhere I apologize for missing them. As soon as Chapter 5 is done and Chapter 6 is in production, Chapter 4 will be released. I'm setting a deadline for myself as that motivates me to get writing. Just to show how sorry I am for the future delays you all can find the new chapter title, the teaser & the chapter poster on my profile page or at the thread at Shadow Tales.**

**I would just like the thank Phoenixlighter for suggesting that I add the first Dylan/Davon scene and the Piper/Charlie scene in the kitchen.**

**Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, if I haven't replied to your questions yet, I will do so soon. In the meantime, leave me a nice review for the chapter.**


	4. Underworld Rising

**A/N: I know I seem to be apologizing for every late chapter but there is a good reason behind it. Even though I have planned out most of the chapters for the series, two more have been added after chapter 5 which are two extremely important chapters and they consist of situations that have to be dealt with. I also have a life which means I can't sit in front of the computer all day typing up the chapters. I have a job that keeps me busy and a home life as well but I really do try my best to finish the chapters for you all. I hope you all understand and will still show your support for "Matriarch". Enjoy the new chapter! ;) **

**Chapter 4 – Underworld Rising**

**Teaserline: The greatest Evil is just about to be revealed**

**(-v-)**

_**August 15th, 2006**_

The grandfather clock chimed once indicating the time of day as Piper descended the stairs with the black portable handset of the telephone pressed to her ear with her shoulder and her hands tightly gripping the handles of a full laundry basket. She was casually dressed in a long sleeved brown top that was rolled up to her elbows and black sweatpants with her tan woolen slippers, the perfect clothes to do house chores in.

"So how's the new house looking?" Piper asked, keeping an eye on the stairs, careful not to fall as she descended them.

"Big. It's going to be quite a chore to clean it." Paige answered on the other end of the telephone.

Piper continued into the dining room towards the kitchen, heading towards the laundry room. "You? Clean? Alert the authorities."

"Ha-ha!" Paige replied, sarcastically. "But the house itself is pretty nice; old Victorian just like the Manor."

"So it should feel like home, right?" Piper asked, placing the laundry basket on the counter next to the washing machine.

"Not exactly, I don't have my crazy sisters with me." Paige said, sitting down on a dark brown leather couch.

"Trust me, you will get used to being alone at some point." Piper said as she separated the dark and light clothes.

"Okay, enough house-talk. How are you doing with everything?" Paige asked, placing a large cream coloured pillow behind her back and sinking down on the couch, resting comfortably.

"If you mean the Matriarch stuff, it's growing on me. It's not exactly something I was expecting though." Piper answered, adding the dark clothes to the washing machine.

"I bet you weren't," Paige stated. "But still from everything you told me it seems like a very important destiny, but remember, even though this is your battle to fight, Phoebe and I are still here for you."

Piper smiled, "Thanks for the reassurance,"

"Speaking of Miss Phoebe, have you talked to her lately? I can't seem to get ahold of her." Paige enquired.

"Nope," Piper replied. "We've been having a voice mail relationship this past week."

"So she doesn't know about the prophecy or Charlie yet?" Paige asked.

"I just don't want to leave a message like that for her. I'd prefer to actually talk to my sister." Piper answered.

"Now I'm wondering if it's the course that's keeping her busy or the cupid?" Paige chuckled.

"Get you mind out of the gutter, Paige." Piper said, disgusted.

"Sorry," Paige said. "So how is Leo's job hunting going?"

Piper looked over her shoulder as she heard the front door slam shut and Leo shouting. "Damn it!" Piper cringed as she spoke back into the phone. "Clearly not well, I better go."

"Ooh, good luck. I'll talk to you later." Paige said.

"Okay, bye." Piper said, lowering the phone from her ear and hanging up. The witch added some washing powder and detergent to the laundry before switching on the machine. As the water began to cascade upon the clothes, Piper closed the lid, grabbed the phone and made her way out of the laundry room, closing the door behind her. As she passed the counter she placed the handset back on the base before moving towards her husband in the foyer.

"Hi, honey," Piper grinned as she moved closer to Leo, who was now sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Hey," Leo replied, somberly. He was dressed in a nice black suit with a crisp white shirt and a silk blue tie, perfect attire for interviews. The mortal unbuttoned the collar and loosened the silk tie slightly.

"Ooh, guess the interview didn't go very well, huh?" Piper commented, sitting down next to her husband.

"It was horrible," Leo responded. "I have never felt so small in all my life."

"Correction, remember when we were stuck in the Dollhouse?" Piper asked.

"I meant inferior," Leo said with a slight smile, knowing that Piper was just trying to cheer him up.

Piper gave Leo a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry that is didn't work out, honey, at least you've still got a couple interviews to go."

Leo shook his head defeated. "If the last five didn't work out then I doubt I'll have much luck with the rest."

"You want me to summon a leprechaun or two to give you some good luck?" Piper asked.

Leo glanced up at his wife, loving her for trying to encourage him and to lift his spirits. He placed his hand on her upper leg. "I appreciate the offer but I think this is just destiny's way of telling me that I shouldn't be looking for a job."

"Oh no, don't say that. You just have to stay positive and maybe instead of you looking for the right job, it will find you." Piper encouraged.

Leo eyed Piper suspiciously. "Why are you so positive lately? You weren't this positive about anything last week."

"Things change," Piper smiled.

"I know you, Piper; something must have influenced this change. I mean, not that I'm complaining that you are so upbeat; I'd just like to know why." Leo said.

"Well, let's just say that I got the magical push I needed to see past my own selfish ways." Piper explained, bringing both her hands up to her chest.

"You found it, didn't you?" Leo questioned, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Found what?"

Leo smiled. "You found the entry,"

Piper gave her husband a suspicious stare. "How did you know about it?"

"Let's just say that Grams and I think very much alike," Leo smiled.

"Grams?" Piper asked. "When was Grams here?"

"She came down last week when you were at P3, we needed to talk about your situation and how to get you to open up to it," Leo admitted.

Piper narrowed her eyes at Leo while waving her finger at him. "You two are pretty sneaky, playing the big sister guilt card."

"Well desperate times call for witchy measures," Leo responded.

Piper leaned forward and placed a kiss upon her husband's lips. "Thank you," She whispered.

"You're welcome," Leo replied, smiling at her.

Piper glanced to the front door as the doorbell chimed twice. "I'll get it," She lifted herself up from the couch and moved towards the door. Piper smiled as she opened the door to find her newly discovered cousin standing on the threshold. "Hey, Charlie."

"Hi, Piper. I hope you don't mind me just dropping by," Charlie said.

"Of course not, come on in," Piper said, stepping back to allow Charlie to enter the manor. "Is everything okay at the club?" Piper closed the door behind the girl.

"Oh yeah, you have nothing to worry about. I have taken care of the books, booked a band for Saturday and an electrician will be by later to fix the sign at the back of the club." Charlie informed.

"Wow, you make it sound so easy." Piper joked.

Charlie chuckled as she and Piper started towards the living room. Leo stood up from the couch, taking off his jacket. "Hey, Charlie."

"Hey, Leo, how's it going?" Charlie asked.

"Don't ask," Leo said with a slight chuckle. "I'm going to get changed." He said to Piper before making his way upstairs.

"Do you want some tea?" Piper asked her cousin.

"I'd love some," Charlie said as she and Piper continued towards the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen Piper continued towards the fridge to get the pitcher of iced tea while Charlie sat down at the table. She placed the pitcher on the island before moving towards the back cabinets. "So, how have you been handling everything at the club?" Piper asked, removing two glasses from the cabinet above her.

"Oh yeah, it's been fine. Rex has been helping me out with some things but I'm getting the hang of it and Dominic has been a great help as well," Charlie responded, crossing her legs. "Is everything okay with Leo?"

"He's just having a hard time finding a job. People just won't give him the chance and I can't exactly conjure him a degree, you know?" Piper said, lifting the pitcher into her hands once more and filling both glasses with the pale transparent orange liquid.

"I know what you mean, but it's still good that he's trying though, right?" The young witch questioned. "I mean after everything you told me about all the magical beings he has been over the years; it's good that he's trying to be normal."

Piper placed the pitcher back into the fridge before carrying the glasses to the table and handing it to Charlie who gave a grateful nod. "Normal isn't a word in the family vocabulary unfortunately, trust me, I've been fighting like hell to be normal but it's an endless battle." Piper sat down at the table across from Charlie.

Charlie gave a slight chuckle while nodding in agreement. "I surrendered to that battle a long time ago. My grandmother always told me '_why be normal if you can be special'_. She constantly drilled that into my mind."

"It seems like our grandmothers _were_ related." Piper joked, taking a sip of the refreshing beverage.

Charlie smiled as she raised the drink to her lips to take a sip. As the liquid touched her lips, she gasped slightly and closed her eyes. With a zooming motion Charlie was pulled into her vision.

(-v-)

_She appeared in a crimson glow within a darkened alleyway of downtown San Francisco. It was dusk and all was quite around her except for the occasional car horn that blared in the background. A young pale woman with long ginger hair was strolling down the alleyway with her IPod's earphones blaring music within her ears as she was sipping on a bottle of peach ice tea. Charlie whipped her head to her right as she saw a pair of glowing red eyes appearing, followed by a shimmering body. The demon was dressed in a smart looking black suit with a charcoal colored neck shirt underneath his long jacket. With a circular motion of his right hand, an energy ball manifested and with a great deal of force, the demon unleashed the deadly ball of energy towards the unexpected girl._

_"No!" Charlie hollered, but nothing could stop the girl from being killed by the energy ball. It charged into her back and caused her to erupt into flames until she was gone, finally consumed by the horrifying flames. The only remains of the girl were her ashes on the ground. _

_The demon turned to Charlie and released another deadly blast from his hand. Just as the energy ball was about to collide into her, Charlie disappeared in the same crimson glow that had brought her into the vision. _

(-v-)

The young witch gasped as her astral spirit rejoined her body and opened her eyes to see a concerned Piper now holding her hands. Both of their drinks were safely on the table.

"Charlie, are you okay? What happened?" Piper asked, concern filling her tone.

Charlie stuttered as she replied. "I-I'm okay, I just had a vision."

"You have premonitions too?" Piper asked, stunned.

"Not exactly, the power is called Astral Premonition." Charlie explained.

"So you basically Astral Project into your visions?" Piper asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Charlie confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" Piper asked.

"I haven't exactly mastered the power yet, it gets triggered by particular things." Charlie explained.

"Like what?"

"Well the girl I saw was drinking iced tea so since I was drinking it too, that must have been the trigger," Charlie replied.

"Okay, so what? If you receive a vision like this and astral project into it, does that mean that you will actually be there in the future?" Piper questioned.

"No, I don't necessarily have to be there, I'm merely in the vision to observe, to get a better understanding but I can be seen by the people in my visions which makes the power pretty dangerous because if anything happens to me in the vision, it will be mirrored onto my real body." Charlie explained.

"That's like the vision Phoebe had three years ago," Piper thought out loud. "So what did you see?"

Charlie collected her thought, replaying the vision within her mind before answering Piper's question. "It was night and I saw the girl in an alley,"

"Why am I not surprised?" Piper interjected. "Go on." The witch nodded to her cousin.

Charlie frowned for a moment before continuing her explanation. "This demon appeared in a way I've never seen before and he was dressed in a suit. She didn't even see him hurling the energy ball at her and then he turned on me."

"Do you know where the attack will be taking place?" Piper asked.

"I know where it is but I think we should see if we can find the demon in your Book of Shadows so that we are prepared when we go after him." Charlie suggested.

"Alright then, let's go hunting." Piper said as she and Charlie both rose from their chairs and started out of the kitchen.

(-v-)

Davon made his way through the labyrinths of the mass world of the Wasteland before he finally stepped into the vast area. Stalagmites and stalactites that emitted plumes of white smoke surrounded the Wasteland that was bathed in a light similar to that of a sunset. Gray clouds surrounded the sky as lightning bolts occasionally struck the grainy ground. The demon moved across the area with great caution, he knew of the beast that called the Wasteland home and it would not hesitate to drain him of all his powers. Davon stopped in his tracks, lowering his head, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. With a glow of black light a bald demon appeared behind Davon, dressed in a long buttoned coat.

Davon slowly lifted his head, opening his eyes once more. "How dare you follow me, Andros,"

"As your advisor, Davon, I have a duty to look out for you and to voice my opinions whether you want to hear them or not." Andros said.

"So what are your opinions then?" Davon asked, turning to his head advisor.

"I don't think this is a good idea. Resurrecting demons is forbidden by the Dark Lords themselves." Andros said.

"That was a rule that was passed by the first Source and where is he now? His remains are scattered across the Wasteland because he thought he didn't need more power." Davon spat. "He was too afraid to take any risks. He was a coward when he went after the Hollow; that was the biggest mistake he made. Besides, I have no choice in this matter; I have to follow his orders."

"Who is this demon you speak so highly of? I swear if he asked you to dive into the darkest pits of hell, you'd do it." Andros insulted.

"Let's just say he'scome a long way from being a frivolous nobody." Davon said, making sure not to reveal too much about the New Evil. "It's taken him four years to reach his well deserved status."

"I must ask, how do you intend on resurrecting Dylan?" Andros questioned. "Since, as for my understanding, demons are vanquished once they enter the portal into the Wasteland so that the beast is free to feed on their powers."

"There is the key point," Davon said, referring to Andros's comment. "Dylan wasn't just a demon, she was a witch or at least a small part of her was. Half demons are thrown into the _Larvalis Portalis_ otherwise known as the Deathly Portal along with other extremely powerful beings. There they await their trip to purgatory since it's harder to extract powers from them. It takes months, even years to finally drain those kinds of demons."

"Then how did Cole Turner escape from it?" Andros asked.

"Yes, Cole, now he had great potential to be the Ultimate Source but all of that aside; he was clever, found a slit in the portal and escaped, only a few demons are known to have escaped but had succumb to the beast. I guess Cole thought it better to take chances with the beast than the pit," Davon informed. "I must get to the Chamber of Lost Souls before the beast discovers intruders on the grounds. Are you coming along?"

Andros simply nodded. "Let's go." Davon said as he led the way into another cave of the Wasteland.

(-v-)

A group of seven demons were sitting around a rectangular glass table in a vast boardroom that housed full length windows, allowing a breathtaking view of the city to be seen. Among the group of male demons were three female demons, all of them were smartly dressed in black suits. They all shifted their attention to a bald demon coming into the room, closing the glass door behind him. With a wave of his right hand, the connecting window turned white so that the worker demons could not see into the room from the bustling office outside.

"Thank you all for attending this meeting." The demon said, moving to the head of the table and sitting down on the largest swivel chair.

"I think we'd all like to know why we've been called here, Xandro." A dark haired demon said.

"This meeting was called by our soon-to-be new leader. While his right hand demon is out tending to his orders, he has asked me to step in and take lead in this meeting," Xandro explained. "He wants to make sure that we are getting back to business before his return."

"Do you think we are ready?" A blonde haired demoness asked. "We have been out of commission for five years now."

"If you ask me it's been five years too long," Xandro commented. "Like any other demon faction we've been trying to gain a foothold in the mortal world and like many demons before us, we've failed. We need a new mission and this rising evil has a great battle ahead of him and he needs an army and that's why he has recruited our organization."

"Why us?" Another male demon enquired.

"He sees the potential in us. We have the resources to acquire the power he needs. No matter how powerful he may be; his opponent will be rising to power soon as well and she will have her own army to build," Xandro explained. "He has promised us glory; he has promised that evil will finally win the never ending ultimate battle that has been fought through centuries."

"When will we meet this new leader?" The first demon asked.

"Soon enough, but first we must make sure that the other side does not get wind of our plans. We have a quota to fill so we need to get rid of the newly appointed prophets that are roaming the city," Xandro said, rising from his chair. With a circular motion of his hand, a projection appeared in the middle of the table. "Starting with this one."

A picture of a ginger haired girl appeared in the projection that was spinning in a circular motion in the center of the table, allowing all the demons to get a look at their target.

"So," Xandro began, leaning on the table with his palms firmly pressed against the surface. "Who's up for the challenge?"

(-v-)

Charlie was hunched over the Book of Shadows that rested on its wooden podium. She carefully flipped each of the pages, fearing that she might tear the aged sheets. She was fascinated by all the entries in the Book, even though Charlie possessed her own Book of Shadows that she inherited from her grandmother, it was nothing compared to this one. She enjoyed the warmth that filled the vast attic. The sun shone brightly from outside and allowed its rays to gently bathe the attic in bright light.

Piper stepped into the attic with Chris saddled on her hip. He played happily with the fringe on the collar of Piper's white button shirt that flared at the waist. Her long hair was now tied in a nicely braided ponytail. "Anything?" She asked, gently placing Chris down.

"Nothing that looks familiar," Charlie responded, lifting her eyes from the Book to Piper and then shifting her attention to little Chris. "Hey there, little guy."

Chris immediately grabbed onto Piper's leg and tried to hide behind his mother. "Whoa there, buddy!" Piper said, trying to regain her balance. She looked down at a frightened Chris. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Chris didn't say a word; he held his little hand that was curled into a fist up to his mouth and groaned. Piper knelt down next to her son. "You remember your cousin Charlie, right? You don't have to be scared of her."

"I'm still a stranger to him, Piper, it's okay." Charlie said.

"Alright, sweetie, why don't you go play in the corner with your toys while Mommy and Charlie work, okay?" Piper said, running her fingers through her younger son's light brown tresses.

Chris nodded and reluctantly let go of his mother. He ran to his toy corner as fast as his little feet could carry him and jumped down onto the big yellow throw pillow Piper had placed there for him.

"Where's Leo?" Charlie questioned.

"He took Wyatt with him to do the grocery shopping since I have to demon hunt." Piper explained.

"He's really disappointed about not getting any work, isn't he?" Charlie asked, lowering her eyes back to the Book.

"He's trying to hide it but I know it gets to him. It's just no one wants to give him the chance to prove what he's worth and now he's back to being Mr. Mom again." Piper said.

"Speaking of work, I forgot about the electrician and Rex is out sick!" Charlie said, bringing her hand to her forehead.

"Don't worry; Leo's heading there after he's done at the market." Piper said.

"Remind me to thank him later," Charlie smiled as she looked back down at the Book. "I think I might have found something. They describe here that some of the demons shimmer the same way the demon did in my vision."

"Who are they?" Piper asked, joining Charlie by the Book.

"The Brotherhood of the Thorn." Charlie announced.

"Oh, no, not them again." Piper said with obvious disgust.

"You've gone up against them before?" Charlie queried.

"Yeah, about five years ago, but the leader was vanquished and they have been laying low since then." Piper informed.

"Well we can take the guess that they have a new leader if they are surfacing now." Charlie said.

"They must have a divine reason for going after this girl; they don't just kill anyone." Piper said, moving out from behind the podium and making her way to the potions table.

"What are you making?" Charlie asked.

"Since we don't actually know the extent of the demon's powers, we're going to need pretty strong potions when we go after him tonight." Piper replied, lifting a jar containing dried herbs and emptying a little into her hand before tossing it into the chalice. A small plume of smoke emitted from the bronze chalice. Piper gently waved the smoke trail away.

"Need some help?" Charlie offered, lifting one of the bottles from the table and glancing at it before looking to Piper.

Piper glanced up at Charlie and smiled. "Sure," She lifted another jar from the table before continuing with the potion, secretly smiling to herself.

The soon-to-be Matriarch was grateful for the company and Charlie was definitely filling the void her sisters had left. After she had discovered her destiny, Piper was terrified of going at it by herself but she knew there was a divine reason for Charlie coming into her life at that specific time. Even though this was a path that she had travel on alone, Piper felt more unperturbed about it knowing that Charlie would be by her side.

(-v-)

Davon walked along a narrow and dark corridor with his advisor following close behind him. Their clothes were covered in a thick layer of dust and were slightly shredded. They breathed heavily as beads of sweat trickled down their slightly terrified faces.

"That was too close, Davon, we could have been killed!" Andros hissed.

"Well we weren't, so what are you complaining about?" Davon replied, swatting his arm to rid his once expensive ensemble from the dust.

"This is madness!" Andros exclaimed. "These chambers are littered with protection beasts and other beings that are trained and ordered to kill. It's luck that we have made it this far without dying." Andros fell to his knees and tried to relax his breathing.

"It's not luck; it's calculations, besides I have been given an order and I intend to carry it out. You came along out of your own free will. You can leave if you want." Davon said, continuing through the labyrinths.

Andros closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before opening them once more and rising up from the ground to follow after Davon.

(-v-)

Piper lifted a small black potions purse from the table and placed a couple of multi-colored bottles of potions into it. She glanced over at Charlie who was bottling the last of her potions. "You know, you are pretty good at potion making."

"I had a good teacher; my Gran taught me most things about magic. If it weren't for her I'd probably have been pretty useless." Charlie explained.

"You were lucky. I only discovered my powers eight years ago and by that time my Grams had already passed so my sisters and I had to basically learn everything on our own," Piper said, lifting another potions purse, similar to hers and handed it to Charlie. "Here, for your potions."

Charlie smiled gratefully while taking the purse from Piper and storing her potions in it as well. Piper returned the smile while lifting the last remaining potion from the table that contained a white liquid. Charlie glanced up to the vial curiously. "What's that?"

"This, my dear cousin, is a teleporting potion since Paige used to be our cosmic taxi." Piper replied, holding up the potion in her hands.

"I'm sure she's happy to be rid of that title." Charlie chuckled.

"I'd kill for a teleporting power like Paige has; with the price of gas it's a real money saver," Piper commented. "Why don't you scry for the demon just in case?"

"But I know where he'll be." Charlie argued.

"Charlie, I've learned from personal experience that sometimes visions can be planted and they might not always be accurate so I'd rather be safe than sorry." Piper said as tactful as she possibly could.

"That's understandable, so how do I do this scrying thing?" Charlie asked, making her way over to the new map that was open on the table next to the potions table.

"You've never scried before?" Piper questioned, moving closer to the young witch.

"I know about it but fighting demons has never been my day job." Charlie replied. "I'd fight a demon when I had to, I know about the craft and potions but I've never been into the hunting game."

"Well I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's about to change. Demons will be showing up and they will be following you wherever you go." Piper informed. "Are you ready for that?"

"I have this feeling that I'll never be ready to accept it but I guess one can't fight destiny, right?" Charlie asked.

Piper smirked at Charlie's words. "Yeah, destiny can be pretty persuading at times," The witch raised the newly bought purple crystal into her hands and held it out to Charlie. "Alright, first you hold onto the string of the crystal and then you focus on the map. Since you have a visual on the demon, you might be able to get a pull."

Charlie took the crystal and held the string with her thumb and index finger. She carefully lowered the crystal to the map and began to swing it, visualizing the demon in her mind's eye. "Am I doing it right?" Charlie asked, concerned.

"You are doing it perfectly," Piper answered, moving back to the Book and studying the page of the Brotherhood. "I wonder who the new leader is," She paused and looked back at her cousin. "I didn't think they'd ever come back into power again."

"Isn't there a saying "Evil never dies"?" Charlie asked.

"That's very true; we've had our share of vanquished demons coming out of the woodwork." Piper said.

"Do you think you might know this new leader?" Charlie questioned.

"I don't know, but I really hope it's not the shadow being that's been watching me." Piper said.

Charlie glanced back at Piper with a concerned look. She was also unnerved by the demon that was keeping watch over Piper. Even though they had only known each other for a week, Charlie had grown to care for her cousin and her family and didn't want them to get hurt. If by them vanquishing this demon helped to keep them save, Charlie was up for the challenge.

(-v-)

The demon duo stepped into a larger chamber that housed a large wooden door. They stepped back as two sets of flames rose up from the ground on opposite sides of the doors. As the flames were extinguished, two male beings were left standing by the door. They were both dressed is crimson shirts and black pants. One had spiky blonde hair while the other had slick raven tresses. Both gave angry glares at the intruders.

"Firestarters," Davon said. "It's a good thing that I was expecting you."

"You are not allowed to be down here, demons. Leave now for your own sake." The blond Firestarter ordered.

"It seems you have no idea who you are addressing, Firestarter." Davon said.

"It doesn't matter what your rank is, demon, we answer to a higher power and we have been instructed to not let anyone passed." The raven Firestarter said.

"Well that's not going to work for me since I have my own set of orders." Davon said, stepping forward and extending his hands ready to attack.

The raven Firestarter lowered his hands and flaming balls of fires ignited from his clenched fists. He raised his hands and released the fire towards the demon. Davon unclenched his fists and released a stream of ice. As the two powers collided an energy wave erupted causing all the beings to become unsteady and tumble to the ground. Davon raised himself up from the ground once more and unleashed another stream of ice towards the unsuspecting raven Firestarter. As the ice penetrated his chest, it spread all over his body, consuming him in an ice prison.

"Die, demon!" The blonde Firestarter yelled, extending both his hands and releasing his fire power upon Davon and his advisor.

Andros raised his one hand and while retracting his arm, formed an energy ball in his palm and released it towards the remaining Firestarter. The ball of energy traveled across the room and hit the Firestarter in the gut, causing him to be launched into the air. He smacked against the wooden door that began to emanate a golden light.

"You Firestarters are such a waste of energy," Davon said, releasing a final stream of ice. The blonde Firestarter met the same fate as his counterpart as he was entombed with ice. "End them." Davon ordered his advisor as he moved towards the glowing doors.

Andros raised both his hands and sent two energy balls toward each of the frozen Firestarters. As the ball of energy collided into their frozen bodies, they scattered into a thousand tiny pieces. "Where did you get the freezing ability?" The advisor questioned.

"It's a potion that converts my pyrokinetic ability to its opposite. I knew I'd need it when we went up against the Firestarters. Fighting them with their own power would have proven useless." Davon explained.

The advisor moved over to his leader stepping on the remains of the raven Firestarter. "Is this it?" Andros asked. "Is this the Chamber?"

"Yes, but the door is protected. We'll need to weaken it." Davon answered, pulling a potion vial from his coat. The vial contained a bright fiery liquid that resembled a burning flame. The demon uncorked the vial, brought it up to his lips and swallowed it in one gulp. Flames rose up from his feet and seemed to consume him but did not harm him in any way. It finally rose up to his head and disappeared.

"What was that?" Andros asked.

"I was just restoring my pyrokinetic ability. I have to use it to weaken the door so that we may gain access to the Portal." Davon said, raising his hands and taking a deep breath before launching multiple fireballs at the wooden doors.

(-v-)

Leo stepped out of Piper's office and into the vast area of P3 walking over to the stage where the electrician was hard at work on the "P3" sign. "Any luck yet, Chip?" Leo questioned the bald, slightly overweight electrician. The mortal couldn't help but find the humor in the man's name considering the size of his body.

"Not yet, there must be something else wrong," Chip replied, carefully climbing down from his stepladder. "Has the breaker been replaced since this place opened?"

"If I remember correctly, it was replaced last year." Leo answered.

"Well, I'll keep checking. Hopefully I'll find the problem before you open tonight." Chip promised.

"I'd appreciate that," Leo nodded as he moved back towards the office.

As Leo entered the office he found his son sitting quietly on the black couch in the corner of the room eating a packet of crisps and watching cartoons on Piper's office television. "Hi, daddy!" Wyatt smiled before glancing back at the TV. "Scooby-Doo is on, want to watch it with me?"

Leo smiled as he closed the door behind him and moved closer to his son. "That sounds like fun, big guy," The mortal finally reached his son and made himself comfortable on the couch. The twice blessed child held up the packet of crisps to his dad, offering him some. "Thanks, Wyatt." Leo dug his hand into the packet and drew out a couple of crisps to eat.

Leo knew Piper would not approve of him filling their son with the unhealthiest snack on the planet but he had also not planned to spend most of the afternoon at the club either. The mortal was grateful that Piper had taken their old television from home and stored it at P3 otherwise Wyatt would have been a very difficult toddler to entertain as they had been stuck at the club for the last three hours.

Leo sat back while placing his arm behind Wyatt, trying to enjoy the adventures of the Scooby gang with his son but he had other matters on his mind. He was still disappointed that all of his job interviews had gone so horribly. No matter how hard he tried to impress the interviewer, they still wouldn't give him a chance to prove his worth. After everything that had happened to him in the last eight years, Leo desperately wanted to find his place in the world after Falling from Grace. His mortal life had hardly begun when he was incarcerated in an ice prison awaiting his release once his wife and her sisters won their Ultimate Battle. He was now back to square one, he no longer had his headmaster position at Magic School since the battle with Zankou and now he was struggling to find his place in the mortal world where he was now forced to reside. Growing up in the 30's, Leo had been a taught a certain way of living and he still believed in it to that day. He believed that it was the man's place to provide for his family and to protect them and it seemed that Piper had to take on that role since Leo couldn't provide any of those things. Though he understood the circumstances that enforced Piper to be the provider and protector, he wished that _he_ could finally be the man of the house.

Leo's train of thought was broken as spheres of blue and white orbs showered into the office. He smiled as he saw his sister-in-law appear behind the bright lights. Paige was finally revealed as the orbs dissipated.

"Aunt Paige!" Wyatt exclaimed, jumping off of the couch and flying into his auntie's embrace.

"Hey, little dude!" Paige greeted, hugging her little nephew and then smiling up to Leo.

Leo stood up from the couch to greet his sister-in-law as well. "Hey, Paige, what are you doing here?"

Paige gave Wyatt a smile and a tickly before rising up to talk to Leo. "Well, I was actually expecting to find Piper here."

"Yeah, she's busy so I'm stuck with club duty today." Leo replied.

"Busy with what?" Paige questioned, running her fingers through Wyatt's golden hair.

"She's researching a demon with Charlie." Leo responded.

"Do you think I should go and help?" Paige asked.

"No, no," Leo said. "Piper and Charlie need time to bond and Piper needs to get used to not having you and Phoebe around."

"Ouch!" Paige said, playfully, bringing her hand up to her heart. "Are you telling me I'm no longer needed?"

Leo smiled before responding. "I have a feeling that Charlie has been brought to Piper for a reason; she needs to be able to break free from the protective cocoon of the Power Of Three now, otherwise she'll always need you guys. Piper needs to learn how to stand on her two feet without her sisters, she's not so close to Charlie yet and this gives her time to spread her wings and embrace this destiny of hers."

"Oh," Paige said, lowering her hands to her sides. "Why didn't you just say so?" Paige looked down to Wyatt and smiled once more. "So what are you up to, little man?"

"I'm watching Scooby-Doo, he's really funny, Aunt Paige," Wyatt answered. "Want to watch it with me?"

"I'd love to but I have to talk to your daddy first, so why don't you go on ahead without me." Paige said.

"Okay!" Wyatt replied, returning to the couch to enjoy his program.

Leo and Paige watched as Wyatt made himself comfortable on the couch, laying on his stomach and cupping his face with both his hands as he tuned back into Scooby-Doo. Leo turned back to Paige still smiling. "You know, you'll be a pretty good mother someday." Leo complimented.

"Oh God, don't you get on that kick too." Paige complained, pulling a face.

"What do you mean?" Leo questioned.

"Well Henry has just been wondering when I'd be ready to have kids and the more I try to dismiss the subject the more he keeps bringing it up." Paige replied.

"You don't want to have kids?" Leo asked.

"Someday but not right this second, I kind of doubt that I'd be the best mother, I might be one of the world's best aunties but I'm not sure the title of mother would fit me." Paige said despondently.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Paige; I mean it was your love for people and especially kids that led you to Social Services so I'm pretty much sure you won't be a bad mother." Leo pressed.

"That's sweet of you but the less I think about diaper duty the happier I am." Paige nodded with a smile.

"Alright, I'll leave it be then," Leo surrendered. "So have you applied for Social Services yet?"

"Not yet, since we moved Henry has been busy getting situated at work so it's basically left me to take care of the house which has been pretty easy with my powers." Paige admitted.

"Paige…" Leo began, strong disapproval audible in his tone.

"I know it's personal gain, Leo, you don't have to lecture me about it," Paige interjected. "But, seriously, you try moving all the furniture on your own. I would have been the shape of an 80 year old grandma if I did it myself. What good are my powers if I can't even use them to avoid permanent bodily injury?"

Leo threw up his hands in surrender. "Alright, I get it."

"So your job hunting hasn't been going so well, huh?" Paige queried.

"Not really, no one wants to give me a job and I'm getting pretty discouraged. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get a job but bright side, at least I can get back to work on my truck." Leo explained.

Paige's brow furrowed as she thought for a moment. She looked at Leo bright eyed. "I might be able to help you out." She announced with a toothy grin.

"Paige, what are you…" Leo began, slightly confused at Paige's demeanor.

"Sayonara!" Paige waved while being consumed by orbs and carried away.

Leo groaned with frustration, not understanding what his sister-in-law was talking about. He strolled towards the black mini fridge next to Piper's desk, opened it and pulled out two box juices for himself and his son. He closed the small door before returning to Wyatt to catch the next episode of the Scooby Marathon.

Wyatt looked up at his dad, a slight sadness visible on his sweet features. "Where did Aunt Paige go? Doesn't she like Scooby?"

Leo sat down next to his son who sat up. He handed Wyatt his juice box. "No, buddy, that's not it at all. You know your Aunt Paige, she's pretty scatterbrained sometimes."

Wyatt laughed at his father's words, though not quite understanding what he meant. "But you like Scooby, don't you, Daddy?"

"You bet, son, but I see myself more as a Shaggy guy." Leo smiled as he and his three-year-old returned to their viewing pleasure.

(-v-)

Dusk had fallen upon San Francisco as many workers left the city buildings to return home after a long day of office work. Out of one of the larger skyscrapers' entrance came a ginger-haired girl; she was exiting the building with a female co-worker. The two women were dressed in completely opposite work attires. The dark haired woman donned a designer pinstripe suit with high stiletto heels while the ginger haired woman was more casually dressed in dark jeans and a long beige woolen jacket that matched the beret that was firmly situated on her head. A brown leather book bag was draped across her right shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Gillian." The dark haired woman waved as she walked in the opposite direction.

Gillian returned the wave as she turned into a darkened alleyway next to the building. The young girl hated taking this route to her car. She felt the greatest eerie feeling every time she tramped the soaked path. The tall buildings around her workplace didn't permit the sun from shining into the alleyway, leaving Gillian to bite the bullet and just move as quickly as she could to her destination.

She swiftly moved down the long alley while pulling her Ipod earphones from her jacket pocket where the device was safely resting and gently pushed each of the earphones into her ears. She dug her hand into her pocket once more and pressed the play button allowing the music to blast in her ears. She hummed along with the song as she pulled out a bottle that was half full of what appeared to be iced tea.

Gillian kept on moving, not noticing glowing red eyes appearing not far behind her. They did not dominate a body; they simply seemed to be floating until a shimmering effect appeared behind the eyes, finally forming the body of a demon.

The demon smirked as he stalked towards the innocent, the fingers of his right hand extended as a ball of energy was forming, ready to be unleashed. The demon whipped his head to his left as a plume of white smoke rose up from the ground not too far from him. As the smoke began to dissipate two female silhouettes became visible. Charlie and Piper were finally revealed as the demon turned his attention back to the innocent.

"Hey!" Piper bellowed, raising both her hands and flicking her wrists causing the demon's raised energy ball to be destroyed. The innocent turned towards the commotion, amazingly hearing everything over her rather loud music and saw the cousins and the demon. "Run! Get out of here!" Piper ordered.

The girl didn't waste any time, she dropped her drink to the ground and began to run as fast as she could. The demon growled at Piper and Charlie. "You witches just cost me my mark!"

"Too bad," Piper responded, pulling a potion from her purse. Charlie followed suit and both of them hurled the potions towards the demon who jumped forward, avoiding the flying potions. The two vials collided against the back wall and caused a large explosion, leaving a great scorch mark. "Damn it, why don't they ever stand still?" Piper grumbled.

The demon jumped to his feet, releasing two energy balls from both his palms towards Charlie and Piper. Charlie didn't waste any time, she lifted her hand up to her mouth and released a breath of ice towards the energy balls, causing them to be demolished before they could cause any injury. The demon roared once more as the witches thwarted his attack. He rushed towards them as Charlie pulled out a final potion and launched it at his chest. At first the potion seemed to have no effect on the demon, until he seemed to be combusting from the inside. His skin began to crack and peel and became the color of lava as he screamed in agony; his eyes now burning flames. Piper seized the opportunity to finally end him and with extreme force, flicked her wrists and obliterated the demon.

"Nice job," Charlie complimented.

"You weren't too bad yourself, you know, for being a novice demon hunter." Piper expressed.

"Thanks, I think." Charlie replied, smiling slightly.

"We may have gotten rid of one of them but the others won't be so easy." Piper said, digging her hands into her jean pockets.

"Why do you say that?" Charlie questioned.

"Well once their new leader has been initiated, they will me taking a blood oath, meaning that they can then only be vanquished by a potion made of their flesh," Piper explained. Charlie gave Piper a puzzled look, clearly wondering how she knew so much of the Brotherhood. "Phoebe's ex-husband was a member of the Brotherhood."

"Phoebe was married to a demon?" Charlie asked, stunned.

"Didn't I mention that?" Piper questioned.

"I think I would have remembered something like that." Charlie answered.

Piper smiled, nervously. "I guess there's still a lot for you to learn. But don't worry, you'll catch up." The witch gave Charlie a gentle pat on the back.

"Do you think we should go and find the girl?" Charlie asked.

"I don't think so. She didn't see any magic so I think she'll be fine unless the Brotherhood comes after her again, "Piper replied. "My guess is she works here so we can come back tomorrow and try to find some detail on her. If this demon failed, they are sure to send another one when we least expect it."

"So, now what do we do? Do we try to find the Brotherhood? See where they are hiding out?" Charlie questioned.

"We do nothing for now, they will be making their move soon and we have to prepare for that. We can't go in half cocked, that could get us killed," Piper responded. "I say we go home, get dressed and head on over to the club. I think we deserve a little fun. I mean we can't just bond through demon hunting."

Charlie joined the laugh as Piper pulled out a teleporting potion from her purse and dropped it to their feet, causing them to be collected by the magic of the potion and carried home. As Charlie and Piper finally disappeared, two demons appeared in the now abandoned alleyway. It was Xandro and a demoness.

"The mark got away." The demoness said.

"Yes, Lea, I'm well aware of that." Xandro said, stepping forward, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Should we get another demon on her?" Lea questioned.

Xandro shook his head. "Not yet, Dolan was easily vanquished because we aren't up to our full power yet. If we were, the mark would have been dead and even the witches' interference wouldn't have mattered."

"So what do we do now?" Lea asked.

"We wait until he makes himself known to us and we have the initiation. Once we do that, we'll be able to kill the prophets before they can reveal their future tales." Xandro answered, lowering his head and shimmering away. Lea glanced around the alley one final time before following Xandro.

(-v-)

Davon inhaled deeply, lifting his hands above his head, he slowly moved them away from each other as the fireball he was conjuring became larger. Sweat began to drip from his brow as the flaming ball radiated heat.

The right hand demon had spent the last two hours trying to break through the barrier of the chamber but had no luck. Andros was right when he reminded that resurrecting demons was a forbidden task and one could guess that's why it was so difficult to penetrate the chamber. The demon was growing tired and knew that he'd need strength to perform the resurrection and did not want to submit to using such a great deal of his powers, but the constant struggle to enter the chamber was draining him more than he thought it would. Even Andros' attempt at the door was futile. Davon had finally resolved to use a great deal of his powers, hopefully with this final blow, the door's protection would finally succumb.

He screamed as he released the enormous flaming sphere with a great deal of force towards the doors. As the ball hit the barrier, the door began to tremble violently, causing the demons to fall to the ground. The door began to glow once more before flames ignited and burned down the doors.

"Finally!" Davon said, relieved as he tried to lift himself up, but fell back to the ground with a thump.

Andros hurried to him and tried to lift him from the ground. "Are you alright, Davon?"

"I'm just slightly drained but I'll be fine." Davon said, finally being able to stand on his feet without assist.

"Will you still be able to do the resurrection?" Andros questioned. "I can take over if you feel that you can't."

"It wouldn't work, why do you think I was sent down here to do it?" Davon asked.

"Why _were_ you?" Andros asked, puzzled.

"There is a connection between Dylan and I," Davon began, Andros kept his puzzling stare. "Let's just say she got a little cocky during a battle and it was my blood that saved her. The spell I have to use to bring her back requires joined blood; I'm the only one who can do it." Davon continued to the chamber with Andros following behind him.

Davon trampled the burned wood to gain access to the chamber. The room was nothing spectacular; it resembled the average demon lair. It was a circular chamber with wall torches spaced out evenly around the room. In the centre of the room was a pit that resembled a stone well. Above it were crimson and black lights that resembled swirling orbs, this indicated that demons were being removed from the pit and being transported to purgatory.

"I hope we're not too late," Davon said, stepping closer to the pit. He peered into it and only saw swirling black water... darkness... death.

"What do you do now?" Andros asked.

"I need you to stand back from here; your presence might interfere with the ritual," Davon said, holding his hand up and conjuring an athame.

Andros did as he was instructed and took a few steps back. Davon looked down at the athame as he raised his left hand. He pressed the sharp blade to his flesh, cutting a large incision over his palm; he flinched slightly as blood began to ooze from the wound. He passed the athame over to the other hand and followed the same step by slicing his right palm as well. He tossed the athame to the ground as he held his blood-dripping palms over the pit allowing the liquid of life to fall into the dark water. He closed his eyes and began his resurrection chant.

"_Adeo olim exanimis haud integellus,_

_Autem resero diabolus foris._

_Ortus alicunde larvalis carcer,_

_Reverto alicunde profundum inferus._"

As Davon chanted the final words, he glanced down at the pit and saw his blood blending with the black liquid. The blood began to overpower the pit as the liquid turned a dark red. The demon's eyes widened in shock as a cloud of swirling black smoke rose up from inside the pit. As it finally exited the pit, it knocked Davon backwards, causing him to fall to the grainy floor. The smoke cloud continued to swirl up to the ceiling of the chamber. The smoke ceased its upward movement and sharply bent to the right and crashed into the ground. As it dissipated, a bare Dylan lay there without a stitch of clothing.

Davon rose from the ground, moving closer to Dylan. He waved his hand over her and with a bright light she was clad in her old clothes once more. "Dylan?" Davon said, looking down at the girl.

Dylan groaned as she opened her eyes, she began to cough hysterically as she raised her head to Davon. As her coughing fit ended, her eyes flashed black before returning to normal.

"Are you alright?" Davon tried once more to get her to respond to his question.

Dylan tried to sit up, but it seemed more difficult than she thought. Davon held out both his bloody hands to her, offering to help her up. Dylan took them gratefully and finally made it to her feet. "Wh-where am I?" She stuttered, her bangs slightly covering her confused eyes.

"In the Wasteland," Davon responded, still inspecting her worriedly. "How do you feel?"

"Uh...weak, ti-red." Dylan replied, bringing her hands up to her still spinning head.

"That's understandable as we assumed the draining process had already begun." Davon said, ripping two pieces of material from his coat and wrapping them around both of the wounds on his hands.

"Draining?" Dylan repeated. "Does that mean I don't have my powers anymore?"

"They are just weakened; we'll be getting them back to full power soon. First, you need to rest, then we'll focus on the task at hand," Davon said. "It's time to go home."

Davon moved closer to Dylan and placed his arm around her shoulders. He called upon his shimmering power as both of them were enveloped by rippling waves and finally carried away. Andros walked over to the pit and stared into it as another smoke cloud appeared within it. He gasped as the cloud zoomed by him and escaped through the broken doors.

"That's not good," Andros muttered, returning to the outside of the splintered door. He held is hand up to the door, it began to glow as he spoke. "**Renovo**!" The destroyed door began to build itself up again and was finally engulfed by a golden light. Destroying the door was a lot harder than it was to restore it. "Let's hope no more demons escape that pit." Andros lowered his head and shimmered away as well.

(-v-)

Piper and Charlie came down the steps of P3 and found the club busier than usual. A male DJ was spinning some great clubbing tunes while some of the club goers swayed to the beat while others were sitting at tables or the bar enjoying their drinks and chatting to their dates or friends. While Piper had opted for dark pants and a silk pink top with her hair straightened over her shoulders, Charlie donned a silk purple knee-length baby doll dress with her hair curled slightly. It was the perfect club attire.

Piper smiled as she approached the bar and saw her husband hard at work. "I forgot how handy you were around here. Care to work for me?" Piper asked, leaning her arms on the counter.

"I'm just helping out, don't get used to it," Leo smiled, inspecting their outfits. "You both look great."

"Thanks," Charlie replied. "For everything, Leo. I'm sorry that you had to get roped into club duty."

"It's okay; you had more important stuff to worry about today." Leo said, handing them each a drink.

"Where's Wyatt?" Piper questioned before taking a sip of her beverage.

"Sleeping in your office," Leo replied. "It's a good thing that room is pretty sound proof otherwise he would never have passed out."

Leo looked over Piper's shoulder as he saw Paige creeping up behind her, her finger placed over her lips, wanting Leo not to reveal she's there. Paige finally came up to Piper and dug her fingers into her sister's back and yelled, "Boo!"

Piper gave a slight shriek as she turned around. "Paige!" Piper yelled, slapping her sister on the arm. "Are ya crazy? I could have blown you up!"

Paige laughed as she took off her black coat to reveal a black lacy dress. She handed her coat to Leo, who stored it under the counter. "Good thing you can't actually blow me up then," Paige laughed, looking over to Charlie. "You must be the long-lost cousin?"

"That's me. I'm Charlie." The young witch smiled, extending her hand to Paige.

Paige took her hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Charlie."

"Uh, Paige," Leo began. Paige glanced back to Leo waiting for him to speak further. "Where'd you disappear to earlier?"

"Well, that's why I stopped by." Paige said, excitedly.

"Well, don't keep us hangin'. What is it?" Piper questioned.

Paige smiled brightly as she finally revealed her news. "I got Leo a job."

"What?" Leo asked, surprised.

"A job? What? Where?" Piper asked, grinning.

"Do you guys remember my charge Mitchell, the one that owns the Garage?" Paige began. "Well I talked to him and it seems he has a mechanic opening and I thought it might be perfect for Leo as he loved working on his truck and all."

"Are you serious?" Leo beamed.

"The job is yours if you want it." Paige said.

"Thanks, Paige. Really, that is incredible." Leo said, gratefully.

Piper put her arm around Paige's shoulders and gave her a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. Paige smiled back at her as Piper let go of her. "So are you sticking around for the night?"

"Do you think I put this dress on to play dress up?" Paige joked. "My husband is out at another dinner meeting leaving me all alone in my new house so I've decided that I'm going to have some fun tonight. Are you up for it, sis?"

"Actually, I think I should get my son home and relieve the Elvin Nanny of Chris." Piper explained.

"Wait, she's talking to us again?" Paige asked.

"Seems she was never against us in the first place," Piper replied.

"I wish the Magical Community believed in us from the start," Paige said.

"Yeah, well we'll probably make up soon," Piper said. "Rain check on the dancing?"

"Okay," Paige pouted before turning to Charlie. "Charlie, how about you? Up for dancing the night away?"

Charlie smiled while nodding and placing her drink on the bar. "Let's get dancing."

Paige smirked at Piper. "I like her; she's more fun than you." Paige teased, grabbing Charlie's hand and leading her into the crowd of dancing club goers.

Piper gave a slight chuckle as she watched her sister and cousin disappear into the crowd. She was relieved that Paige was more open to the idea of a new family member, she was used to befriending strangers and Piper was sure that her sister and cousin would hit it off. The witch turned back to her still beaming husband. "Congratulations, honey!" She leaned over the counter and placed a kiss on Leo's lips.

"Thanks,"

"So, do you want to head on home with me? I'm sure Bobby and Tessa can handle the bar." Piper asked.

"No, I think I'll stay, I'm way to excited to sleep anyway. You head on home with Wyatt." Leo responded, removing a cloth from under the counter and wiping it down.

"Alright, I'll see you later," Piper said, leaning over again and giving Leo a goodbye kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Leo said as he turned to the customer that just approached the bar.

Piper smiled as she moved away from the bar to her office. She was extremely grateful to Paige for acquiring Leo a job; she now had one less thing to worry about. She knew Leo would be fine and that Mitchell would only be lucky to have her husband working for him. Now that Piper didn't need to worry about Leo any longer, her mind shifted back to her impending destiny. Leo's problems had distracted Piper from everything and now that it was no longer something to worry about, Piper was back to panicking. Her smile slowly faded as the moved through the crowd; her heart began to pound as the doubt began to set back in. Piper began to move more swiftly towards her office, trying to leave her thoughts behind her.

(-v-)

The Brotherhood boardroom was bustling once more as the demons who occupied the room hours before were assembled once more. They all seemed pretty annoyed to be back in the room. They all looked towards the door as Xandro stepped into the room.

"Xandro, why have we been assembled here again?" Lea questioned.

"Because I asked him to," A new voice said. All the demons stared inquisitively at the demon that entered the room. It was Davon. He was now dressed in clean clothes and his hands were neatly bandaged. "And I was ordered by him to get you all together."

"And when will be discover who this mighty demon is?" Another demon asked.

"Right now," Davon answered as he stood aside and allowed his master to enter the room.

The tall, dark and handsome leader was dressed in a black suit with a black neck shirt. Some of the demons recognized him. He smirked as he glanced at the demons, defiantly.

"Bacarra?" Lea said, stunned.

"I'm back," Bacarra announced. "Let's get to business."

(-v-)

Piper stood next to a sleeping Wyatt's bed, smiling. The room was dark as her son slept soundly, without a care in the world. Piper wished that she could sleep as soundly as her child and she wished that he could maintain that innocence for as long as possible. She lightly brushed his golden locks and pulled the blanket over him, tucking him in. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead before quietly leaving the room.

Piper closed the door quietly, before making her way towards her youngest son's bedroom. When she had gotten home, the Elvin Nanny had already put Chris to bed. She moved into the room and strolled towards his bed. She smiled down at her son, tucking him in as well and kissing him goodnight. "Goodnight, my baby." Piper said softly, before moving towards the door and leaving the room.

The witch walked down the hall towards her bedroom, but stopped as she glanced towards the attic stairs. She directed herself to the stairs and made her way up to the attic. As she walked into the attic she moved towards the Book Of Shadows that was now closed and resting back on it's podium. She sighed as she looked down at the Book and placed her hand over the symbol, the Triquetra. She closed her eyes and raised her head to the ceiling.

"I can't, Prue, I just can't do this," She confessed, hoping her sister could hear her fears up in heaven. "I'm scared… I'm scared of leaving my boys, I'm scared of putting them and everyone I love in danger. I'm just… scared."

Piper's hands were forced off the cover of the Book as it flew open and began to flip through the pages on its own. Piper's brow furrowed as she watched the pages flip until they ceased movement. The Book was now open to Prue's entry once more. The witch glanced down at the page and read it again.

"Piper,

I know that this destiny comes as a great surprise to you and I know you are wondering why this is happening to you but you must remember what you are all about. You are the ultimate protector of your family and now you have been chosen to be the ultimate protector to the world. You must remember that it is your kindness of heart and your courage that makes you powerful, not your powers. I know that you can do this, it's in your nature to protect people, no matter if they are family or strangers.

I know you might be afraid, but believe it or not, that's completely normal. Even the greatest soldier going into battle is scared. That's what separates us from demons, Piper, that's what makes us human. I know that you fear of going into this alone but remember: We are the protectors of the innocent, together and apart. That's what being part of the Warren line is all about.

Piper, you must know that this destiny wouldn't have been given to you if you couldn't handle it. Believe in the strength you possess and the love you receive from the many around you. You are never alone; I'll always be with you whenever you need me. I love you, remember that.

Blessed be."

Piper smiled after reading the entry once more. Knowing that Prue would be with her in spirit during this journey filled her with courage, courage that she hoped would be able to prepare her for what is to come. Piper wished that she had some sense of the future, that she knew everything would work out fine, but she didn't. Not even Phoebe could give her that answer; it's not how their powers worked. Piper knew that she just had to take a leap of faith and believe she'd make it through whatever was waiting for her. Now if only she knew what was to come…

(-v-)

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I know that it centered more around the demons than it did Piper but this chapter was necessary to introduce you all to the new evil and his new organization and of course Dylan's resurrection. I hope this will keep you guys wondering why they went to so much trouble to bring her back. The next chapter is finished and I have started on chapter 6 already which is still being planned as I write but chapter 5 was definitely a fun one to write for me and I hope it will be enjoyed by you all when it's posted as well.**

**I have to give credit to both Phoenixlighter and Temporal Death for the help in developing Charlie as a character and her astral premonition power and all that entails. Also kudos to Phoenixlighter for suggesting I make Leo a mechanic ;) **

**Thanks for reading the chapter and if you have any comments please leave me a review. I do try my best to reply to any questions you all have. Also, if there are some writing mistakes somewhere, my apologies.**


	5. Within The Mind's Eye

**A/N: This chapter was edited by myself as Phoenixlighter had to bow out as my editor because of his own series. So if there are any mistakes, I apologize in advance, I'm still learning the art of writing. Enjoy this new and rather lengthy chapter of Matriarch. **

**Chapter 5 – Within The Mind's Eye**

**Teaserline: ****What happens when illusion can kill you?**

**Story by: The Matriarch and Phoenixlighter**

(-v-)

_August 25th, 2006_

The stained glass wooden door of the ancestral Manor swung open allowing a laughing Wyatt to run into the foyer. His parents soon followed with Chris up in his father's arms. He squirmed furiously, trying to get down.

"Hang on, slugger," Leo said as he lowered his son to the floor. As Chris's little feet touched the floor he began to totter after his older brother.

Piper closed the door behind them as she watched Chris waddle after Wyatt who was already heading towards the backyard to play with their new plastic basketball set. Wyatt stood on his tiptoes to reach the door handles of the sunroom door and pushed it open to get outside.

"Wyatt, watch your brother, please!" Piper called out, placing her car keys and purse on the side table by the front door. "I can't believe we actually signed Chris up for Daycare today," The Witch tucked her hands into the back pockets of her dark jeans that were paired with a flared brown beaded top. She and Leo moved towards the sunroom to follow their children.

"Me neither," Leo replied as he removed his brown jacket, revealing a red shirt that hung loosely over his jeans before he followed Piper out into the yard.

The parents moved over to the white lawn chairs, sitting down to watch their children play. Piper loved the warm feeling of the sun against her skin. Summer would be gone in a few days and she was planning to soak up as much of the warmth as she could before the autumn winds would kick in. The witch appreciated days like these more and more.

Things had been quite around the Manor for over a week now, even though Piper appreciated the lack of demonic activity around her home, she knew she couldn't get too comfortable about it. Demons being scarce only meant one thing; that they were planning their next attack or possibly initiating their new leader.

Leo placed his arms around his wife and smiled at her before both of them continued to watch their sons. Wyatt now had the small plastic orange ball tightly in his grasp and was shooting baskets into the small hoop. Chris began to groan in protest, his bottom lip quivering.

"Wyatt, let Chris play too. You two have to share the basketball, remember?" Piper said.

Wyatt gave a slight pout as he handed the ball to his little brother whose face lit up as soon as his hands touched the ball. "Yay!" He cheered, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it again.

"See? We can be a normal family when we want to." Leo smiled at his wife. Piper just narrowed her eyes and smirked at him.

Chris finally made an attempt at the basket but to his dismay the ball traveled away from the basket and landed in the shrubbery. "Bad ball!" Chris groaned, raising his hands, causing the basketball to be collected in swirling orbs. It traveled back towards the basket and fell through the net as the orbs finally disappeared. "Yay! Yay!" Chris continued to cheer while jumping up and down.

"So much for normal," Piper smirked, rising form the lawn chair and moving over to Chris who was still happily jumping. The witch lowered herself to her son's side and took both his hands. "Buddy," she began.

"Dids Mommy sees dhat?" Chris exclaimed, giving her a toothy grin. Piper gave a slight chuckle at her son's interpretation of words. For a one-and-a-half-year-old, his sense of words was still developing so it was sometimes amusing listening to him speak.

"Yes, sweetie, I saw what you did but you remember what Mommy and Daddy told you about using your magic, right?" Piper questioned, sweetly, trying not to scold him in a harsh tone. Chris's beaming smile began to fade as he lowered his head, his bottom lip trembling. "Oh, honey, Mommy wasn't scolding you, I just don't want you to use you magic too much," Piper looked down to Chris's little hands that were still in her grasp as they slowly began to disappear in orbs along with the rest of his body. "Chris, honey...."

Leo rose up from the chair and looked sympathetically at his wife. "I guess the terrible two's are starting early,"

"I'll go talk to him," Piper announced as she rose up and moved towards the sunroom door. She stopped in her tracks as Leo placed his arm in front of her. "What?"

"I think it's better if I go talk to him, I think we can tell he's a little upset with you right now and he might just orb off again when you try to talk to him." Leo explained, placing his hands on Piper's arms.

"When did I become such a bad mother?" she questioned, sadly.

"You aren't a bad mother, Piper, Chris is just going through a stage and for what it's worth, I think you handled the situation pretty well." The mortal said, looking Piper in the eyes and trying to get her to smile.

"Thanks," she said, softly.

"I'll just check on him before I head off to work," Leo leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving to inside the manor to find his youngest son.

Piper continued to watch Leo as he moved towards the doors to head on into the house. All magical situations aside, Piper was pretty pleased at how their lives were at that moment. P3 was doing fine with the great assist of Charlie, the boys were about to head off to school in a week, while Leo's job at Mitchell's Garage has been going very well and Piper hadn't seen Leo so happy in a long time. The only problem they have been having lately was controlling their kids and their excessive use of magic. Wyatt had been obedient but Chris was struggling to understand that he can't use his newly discovered magic for everything.

Piper sighed as she sat back down on the chair. Wyatt picked up the ball and walked to Piper and stood next to her. Piper turned to her oldest son as he spoke. "Mommy, are you mad at Chris?"

"Of course not, sweetie," Piper replied, turning her body towards Wyatt. "I just want you boys to be careful with your magic; I don't want bad people to come after you. You should be using your powers to help people. Do you understand that?"

Wyatt nodded his little head before holding the ball out to Piper. "Will Mommy play with me?"

Piper smiled as she stood up from the chair and took the ball from Wyatt, "I'd love to," she said as she and her son moved towards the plastic basket.

(-v-)

Large doors swung open as Davon moved along the busy office corridor and walked into a vast room filled with desks and demons tending to orders. The demon halted in front of a large steel office door before knocking. He only entered the office when he was ordered to do so. Davon pushed open the door and entered, closing it again behind him. The office was dark as all the black curtains weren't drawn yet.

Davon moved closer to the desk that was mounted on a large black platform, the only thing visible was the back of a large silver designed desk chair. "My lord?"

The chair slowly turned around to reveal Bacarra with his hands clasped together. "Davon," The warlock spoke.

"I did not mean to disturb you, Bacarra," Davon apologized.

"I was just converging with the Underworld," Bacarra replied, rising from his chair and lifting his hands towards the windows. The curtains were instantly pulled back allowing the beaming sun to now engulf the room. "That's better. I'm not one for the dark any longer."

"Understandable, after everything you've been through these past four years," Davon said. "I still can't believe you've made it this far."

"Motivation, Davon, motivation," Bacarra said, stepping down from the platform. "Thanks to my little taste of the future. That drove me to act, to acquire the power that I needed to rise to this stature."

(-v-)

_**Past - 2002**_

A scruffy looking warlock stepped into a cavern, holding a large green leather-bound book in his arms. His clothes were old and tattered, even his dark coat was covered with dust. Bacarra moved closer to the large doors of a secluded room. As he approached the doors, two demons shimmered in, now standing on opposite sides of the door. Both were clad in dark suites with black neck shirts.

"I need to speak to the Dark Lords," Bacarra announced.

"You have no business with the Dark Lords, Warlock." The one demon barked.

Bacarra gave a smug grin at the demons, "I think they'll want to see me," He turned the large tome around and revealed the symbol on the book, the Triquetra, the sign of the Charmed Ones.

Both the demons stared at the Book in shock, their eyes widening. "How did you get that?" The other demon asked.

Bacarra gave a superior smirk, "Let's just say it was easier than anticipated. I feel the need to share with the Lords that two of the Charmed Ones are dead and I now have their coveted Book of Shadows. I demand my rightful place in the Underworld."

Just as the demons were about to unlock the doors to the cavern a great golden light began to engulf the Book of Shadows. "What the hell?" Bacarra breathed as the Book slowly began to disappear. "No!" Suddenly, there was a bright light and the Book of Shadows was gone. Bacarra became enraged as he contracted his hands into fists and screamed. "No!"

"It was all an illusion," the one demon growled.

"You shall die for your lies, Warlock!" The other demon said, retracting his arm and releasing an energy ball towards Bacarra.

In a blink of an eye, Bacarra disappeared and reappeared behind the energy ball hurling demon. The Warlock immediately removed his athame from his coat and rammed it into the back of the demon, causing him to release a piercing cry as he was engulfed in flames and was finally consumed by them. His power was sucked into the athame and then transported into Bacarra. The other demon finally retaliated, releasing an energy ball of his own towards Bacarra.

Bacarra lifted his hand, "Glacies Imber," The energy ball zoomed back into his hand, not harming him at all. He retracted his arm and released the energy ball back at its owner.

The demon was so surprised by Bacarra's power that he did not move out of the way of the oncoming energy ball and was finally killed, incinerated by his own power.

Bacarra put away his athame and screamed as the rage built up within him. He lowered his head as he blinked away to a new destination.

(-v-)

When he reappeared, he was in the far end of an alley near a restaurant. Police cars were parked in the alley as people spoke to each other incoherently while a woman's sobs could be heard over the commotion. Bacarra moved closer to the scene and saw a woman hunched over the body of a man, a woman he recognized. "She's alive?" he breathed. "How is that possible?"

The Warlock moved through the crowd, trying to get closer to the crime scene. He glanced over at the far end of the alley and saw a teary eyed woman with long brown locks. "Piper," he snarled.

He watched the Charmed One as she turned her head to the left and he was shocked to see another Piper leaning against the wall watching the scene as well. He recognized this Piper by her wardrobe; it was the one he had encountered only a few hours ago in the attic when he and his future counterpart had killed Phoebe and Paige. He stared at her fiercely, finally knowing what had happened. The future Bacarra had explained to him how he had come to the past by means of a time portal that was created by Phoebe when she saved her boyfriend from dying. He knew that the future Piper must have used the portal to come back in time to save her sisters, thus meaning the future he was hoping for would never come to fruition.

"I'll come to power someday, witch, and I promise, you'll pay for what you've cost me." Bacarra promised as he turned on his heel and walked away from the scene blinking away once he was out of sight.

(-v-)

_**Present Day**_

"How did you discover Piper's impending destiny?" Davon questioned.

"I visited a powerful Seer, one that resides deep in the Underworld. She is hard to find unless you go through the right channels. That is how I discovered that there is a battle on the horizon for myself, a battle against the Ultimate Mother, the Matriarch." Bacarra explained.

"What do you plan to do now?" Davon asked.

"I think it's time I take my rightful place as head of the Brotherhood but first I need to tend to other matters." Bacarra replied.

"Like?" Davon questioned.

"This new relative of Piper's; I deem her a too powerful ally to the witch," Bacarra said.

"Turning her would be useless, by trying to get close to Piper we lost Dylan," Davon stated. "I'm sure we don't want to lose any more demons that we deem useful."

"We'll have to take care of her permanently, find a way to attack her so that Piper can't save her," Bacarra said. "And I think I have the perfect way to do it but first I must pay a visit to someone."

"Who are you planning to send after the new witch?" Davon questioned.

"Let me worry about the witches, Davon, you concentrate on Dylan and her training. She needs to be ready soon." Bacarra ordered, pulling his long leather coat together and buttoning it.

"You haven't informed me on why Dylan needed to be brought back from the Wasteland yet." Davon reminded.

"All in good time, Davon, don't rush things. You'll know everything when the time is right." Bacarra answered before blinking away.

(-v-)

Piper was sitting at the breakfast table with Charlie. The young witch's nose was buried in the Book of Shadows, while Piper finished her chicken-mayo sandwich. Charlie's lunch was still next to her, untouched.

"Hey, are you gonna eat that anytime soon?" Piper questioned, as Charlie lifted her head to her cousin. "You know, I don't want the sandwich to sprout wings or anything."

Charlie chuckled as she pushed the Book aside and pulled the plate closer. "Sorry, there is still so much for me to catch up on, especially the Brotherhood." Charlie said, raising the piece of bread to her mouth and taking a bite.

"Speaking of them, have you been monitoring the innocent again?" Piper questioned, moving her glass of milk closer.

"I actually introduced myself to her," Charlie said, after she had swallowed the bite, "She's magical."

"How'd you get that out of her?" Piper questioned.

"Well, she remembered me from the fight in the alley and she mentioned something about seeing visions. She said at first they weren't too far in the future. It was more like she saw herself knocking the salt shaker over and a few seconds later it would happen," Charlie picked off the crusts of her sandwich and placed them in the plate. "She told me right before the demon attacked, she saw it happen."

"And she wasn't the least bit shocked about this sudden gift of hers?" Piper asked.

"Apparently she comes from a long line of witches, but all of them only possess one power and that's the power of foresight." Charlie informed.

"So she basically comes from a family of psychics?" Piper questioned.

"They prefer the term "Prophets"," Charlie corrected.

"Prophets?" Piper repeated, her brow furrowing as she thought for a moment. "That's why they were after her."

"Sorry?" Charlie said, trying to jump on Piper's thought train.

"The Brotherhood is very secretive, that's why they kill prophets. Prophets tend to leak information about their plans." Piper explained.

"So if they are killing off prophets, that must mean they are up to something big." Charlie said.

"I know you are still new to your Astral Premonition power, but isn't there a chance that you'd be able to get a vision on what they are up to?" Piper questioned. "I really hate not knowing what they are planning or what they are doing."

"I can try but I can't promise anything. This power is still pretty tricky and if I'm not careful I might get stuck in them." Charlie said.

"Get stuck in your visions?" Piper questioned.

"When I have visions, I need to be in great control of my mind since that's connected to the astral projection part of the power. It's all about control. If I lose it, I might not be able to return to my body," Charlie explained. "I'd kind of be more stuck in my own subconscious rather than a premonition."

"That sounds like a pretty scary power to have," Piper commented.

"With some practice I'm sure to be able to handle it, but, yeah, it's still pretty scary." Charlie agreed.

"Well at the risk of getting you stuck in your subconscious, I guess we can scrap that idea then." Piper said, discouraged, placing her arm on the table and resting her chin in her palm.

"We'll figure out what they are up to, Piper," Charlie encouraged, grabbing the cloth to clean her hands before pulling the Book closer to her. "Isn't there something about divination in the Book?"

"You think that might work?" Piper questioned.

"We can always try to enhance it with a potion; we might be able to get an idea of what they are up to," Charlie suggested. "It's better than being completely in the dark."

Piper sat back as she recalled Charlie's idea to enhance the ritual with a potion. Her mind immediately flashed to Billie, the young witch who was once her protégée, a girl she treated like a sister. Billie always wanted to enhance spells with potions and Piper couldn't help but remember the good times she had with the young blonde witch. She knew that she could have forgiven Billie for her betrayal only if she hadn't used Wyatt's power to try and kill her and her sisters. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to forgive Billie for doing that to her child.

"Piper?" Charlie called out. "Earth to Piper!"

Piper finally snapped back to reality and glanced at Charlie questionably. "Hmm? What?"

"The doorbell rang," Charlie replied. "Should I get it?"

Piper lifted herself up from the chair. "No, it's fine, you keep researching." The witch moved out of the kitchen and hurried to the front door as the bell rang for a second time. Piper pulled open the door and smiled brightly as she saw her younger sister on the threshold. "Phoebe!"

Phoebe returned the smile and pulled her sister into her embrace. "Hi, Piper!"

Piper broke the hug and beamed at her sister while she stepped into the manor. "I thought you were only coming back tomorrow." The oldest Charmed One closed the door as they moved towards the living room.

"We got an earlier flight out since my last class was cancelled. The lecturer got food poisoning so Coop and I just decided to head on home." Phoebe explained.

Both Phoebe and Piper turned their attention to the dining room as Charlie came out from the kitchen, the Book in her arms and her nose still buried in it. "Piper, I might have found something to help us divine for the Brotherhood." When Piper didn't say anything, Charlie raised her eyes from the Book and stared at the sisters. "Oh, hi."

"What's that about the Brotherhood?" Phoebe asked, eyeing her sister before turning to Charlie. "Wait, who are you? Why do you have the Book?" The middle Halliwell turned back to Piper, placing her hands on her hips. "What did I miss?"

Piper scoffed, before giving a sarcastic grin. "This is what you get when you don't answer your cellphone for three weeks."

Phoebe kept staring at her sister, stunned that she clearly had missed a lot since she left on her trip.

(-v-)

In the middle of a room, enclosed in darkness, Bacarra blinked in. He looked around the room and at the strange carvings against the walls that were illuminated by torches that were stuck in the ground. He wasn't even sure where he was at that moment. He didn't know the location of this chamber but luckily enough his blinking power didn't need visuals of where he needed to go.

He moved closer to the wall, running his hand over it, touching and feeling every curve the markings made. He stopped, closed his eyes and breathed deeply, sensing a presence close to him. "Show yourself, Old Man."

Black smoke rose up from the ground and swirled around until a body was formed within it. As the smoke dissipated a small old man was revealed, dressed in black robes that were tied together by a bronze cord. He had a short silver beard and a slightly bald head. "No need to be rude, Bacarra." The Old Man scolded.

"No need to spy on me, Old Man." Bacarra mocked.

"I wasn't spying, merely observing what you are up to." The Old Man defended.

"You don't need to watch over me anymore, you've trained me well." Bacarra said.

"It's mere luck that you found me, Bacarra," The Old Man said. "You would have been nothing without my training. You wouldn't have been fit to acquire all the powers you now possess. You could have easily been killed from the extreme power."

"I can easily kill you with that power, Old Man, so don't test me." Bacarra warned. "After everything I've been through I deserve the respect of the Underworld and being initiated as the first Warlock leader of the Brotherhood is a giant leap in that direction."

"That's only because you gained much knowledge from one of the greatest demons that ever lived," The Old Man said. "You were lucky to be chosen as his secret advisor."

"I did learn much from Zankou, but he also underestimated the Charmed Ones and now he's rotting in the _Larvalis Portalis. _I have to be sure not to follow in his footsteps," Bacarra explained. "I was honoured to be his personal advisor and from everything he taught me I'm bound to be the greatest force the Underworld has ever seen."

"I'd like to know, Bacarra, why did you come down here?" The Old Man asked, moving closer to the warlock. "What is it that you seek?"

Bacarra kept his eyes on the wall, continuing to run his hand over the carvings. "The demons behind this wall, they are the ones I need to get rid of the Matriarch's new ally. It's the only way I can attack her without Piper intervening."

"These demons were entombed for a reason, releasing them is just as dangerous as releasing the Hollow!" The Old Man warned. "You of all people shouldn't be meddling in things like this."

"I have no choice; this cousin was sent to Piper for a reason. She's powerful, maybe too powerful to be on the side of good. Turning her would prove useless; the only option I have left is to get rid of her, permanently." Bacarra explained.

"I will have no part in this, Bacarra, I will not unearth these beings!" The Old Man announced.

Bacarra spun around and clasped his hand around the neck of the Old Man. "Who said you had a choice?" He tightened his grip around the Old Man's neck, causing his face to become pale, almost drained of all the oxygen residing in his small body. "You should know better than to say no to me."

(-v-)

"Oh, Phoebe, stop!" Piper grabbed her sister's arms and lowered them from their karate position.

"Piper, you don't know anything about her!" Phoebe argued, trying to break free.

"I'm not here to hurt any of you, Phoebe, my great grandmother was Prudence Bowen which makes me family." Charlie tried explained.

"This must be some kind of spell, we've never known of any other family members and we've been bitten in the butt by shape-shifters before!" Phoebe said, still trying to release her arms from Piper's grasp.

"Hello, does Paige ring a bell?" Piper said as she tightened her grip on Phoebe.

"That's different, Paige didn't just arrive on our doorstep saying "Hi, I'm your long lost sister", you know?" Phoebe said.

Charlie stifled a chuckle; she now had a better understanding of Phoebe as Piper had been educating her on the Halliwell sisters. Even though Paige was the fun and outgoing sister, Phoebe had been classified as the sometimes wacky sibling.

"Would you let go of me already?" Phoebe asked in a high pitched squeal.

"No, not until you promise to behave," Piper said, tightening her arms around Phoebe.

The middle Charmed One knew she could break free from Piper's grasp but that would mean hurting Piper in the process and she'd rather not injure her sister. Phoebe began to settle down, realizing that she was acting silly but knew she was only trying to protect her sister. In all the years that they had been witches they had to be careful with trusting people, Phoebe learned that the hard way with Cole and recently with both Billie and Christy. The middle Charmed One let out a sigh before she spoke, "Fine, I promise."

Piper slowly let go of her sister but still held onto her arm. "Gee, you're worse than my kids,"

"I'm still not convinced she's not evil," Phoebe said, folding her arms over her chest.

Piper groaned out loud as she raised her hands and flicked them towards Charlie. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and flinched, waiting for something to happen. She slowly opened her one eye and then the other. "What did you do?"

"I tried to freeze you," Piper replied, turning to Phoebe. "Do you know of a demon that would flinch at my power like that?"

"All demons flinch at your power," Phoebe retorted.

"Oh, you are so difficult. If she weren't family, she would have frozen and plus she's touched the Book, evil can't touch the Book!" Piper pressed on.

"Well, I guess you won't mind if I do a little test of my own?" Phoebe said.

Piper turned to Charlie rolling her eyes. "Charlie, humour my sister, please."

Charlie stared worriedly back at the sisters feeling slightly hurt that Phoebe didn't want to believe that she was family. From everything Piper had told her about Phoebe and the way she accepted Paige, she was sort of expecting the same reaction but it was the complete opposite. The young witch sighed as she finally gave in. "Okay, but as long as it doesn't require blood."

Phoebe raised her eyebrows at Charlie before turning to Piper with a suspicious glare.

"Knock it off," Piper warned. "She's afraid of blood."

"Of course she is," Phoebe mocked, walking over to Charlie and placing her right hand on Charlie's left shoulder.

"_Reveal it now so we may see,_

_if this girl is truly family._"

Shimmers of golden light that resembled orbs began to assemble above Phoebe and Charlie before swooping down and covering the Charmed One. The light cascaded down to her arm then to the hand that was resting on Charlie shoulder. The light released itself from Phoebe and finally took Charlie over and within a few seconds it was gone.

"What was that?" Charlie questioned.

"That proves your family, if the light turned red it would have meant you were evil," Phoebe explained, removing her hand from Charlie shoulder and holding it out to her. "I'm sorry for not trusting you; one has to be careful, especially in this family."

Charlie glanced down at Phoebe's hand and then back at her cousin. She didn't know how to feel at that moment. She did understand that they had to be careful; especially where magic is concerned but Phoebe distrusting her really gave Charlie a gnawing feeling in her gut, the feeling of being an outcast.

She slowly raised her own hand and took Phoebe's, shaking it. "Yeah, I guess so," she said, pulling her hand back. Charlie moved back over to the dining room table and picked up the Book of Shadows. "I'm just going to head up to the attic to get started on the divining." Charlie kept her head slightly lowered as she moved towards the stairs.

"I'll be right up, I just need to have a little chat with Phoebe here," Piper smiled at Charlie as she continued up the stairs. When she was finally out of sight, Piper glared at her sister. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Hey, I admitted I was wrong, what else do you want from me?" Phoebe said, walking around the living room couch and plonking down on it.

"You call that admitting you were wrong?" Piper asked, moving towards the couch as well to speak with her sister face to face. "You made her feel horrible; didn't you see the look on her face?"

Phoebe thought for a moment and knew that she had seen hurt in Charlie's hazel eyes. She sighed as she looked back at her older sister. "Was I really that horrible?"

"I think it's about time you get your Empathy power back," Piper said, placing her hands on her hips in annoyance towards her younger sister.

Phoebe thought for a moment before finally speaking. "Oh, God, I _was_ that bad,"

"Yeah, you pretty much were." Piper responded.

Phoebe sighed before speaking, "It's just after having been tricked and betrayed by so many people we cared about; I just want us to be careful."

"You mean Billie?" Piper asked.

"No, Christy," Phoebe responded. "We looked after her, took her in, considered her a part of the family and look what happened."

"Charlie's different, Phoebe, you have to trust me on this." Piper said, crossing her arms.

"Piper, you know I trust you but isn't it the least bit strange to you that this long lost relative just showed up on our doorstep?" Phoebe questioned, rising up from the couch.

"Leo seems to think that there is a reason behind Charlie coming into my life right now, that I might just need her." Piper said.

"Why do you need her?" Phoebe asked, feeling more confused than ever.

"Oh, that's right you don't know yet," Piper teased, turning on her heel and moving towards the kitchen.

"What don't I know?" Phoebe asked, trailing after her sister who continued to move to the kitchen, not uttering a word all the way. "Piper?"

(-v-)

Davon shimmered into a large room that contained elaborate furniture; priceless paintings hung against the crimson wallpaper, a black grand piano sat untouched in the far corner of the room while the fireplace housed a burning fire, instantly warming the room. He turned towards the wooden archway to move through the large house. His shoes reverberated as he walked along the wooden floor towards the dining room that would finally lead him to the kitchen. With a push of his right hand he forced open the swinging door to the kitchen. The kitchen would be any gourmet chef's dream. Everything was of the best, from the granite counters to the large gourmet stove to the large steel double door fridge that even housed a small television in the right door. The cabinets were made of the finest cherry wood; its scent still filled the room.

Davon kept moving, not appreciating all the fine objects that rested in the glorious home. He walked passed the island and over to a vacant piece of wall. With a wave of his hand a black door appeared, accompanied by a red glow. He wrapped his hand around the knob before turning it, opening the door that led down to a pitch black basement. The demon stepped through the door, lifting his hand to the wall to flick on the light. As the darkened room was finally illuminated, a young girl could be seen in the corner of the room, resting on a double bed. She turned over onto her back, turning her head towards the stairs.

"Davon?" her faint raspy voice called out.

Davon started down the stairs as he spoke to the demoness. "How are you feeling, Dylan?"

Dylan turned her head back, closed her eyes and brought both hands up to her head before replying in a raspy voice. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck,"

"That's unfortunately a side effect of the potion, it's the only way we can reverse the effect the pit had on you," Davon said. "Do you feel up to training?"

Dylan opened her eyes and sat up slowly, annoyance sketched across her face. "What do the words "I feel like I've been hit by a truck" mean to you?"

"I'm sorry but you'll have to get over it, he wants you back in training as soon as possible," Davon said.

"You know, I'm getting sick of Bacarra's orders, he has no idea of the hell I went through in that pit and now he's trying to turn me into his little fighting machine," Dylan complained. "I'm not built to jump when he says jump."

"That's too bad, you owe him, you owe being alive to him." Davon said.

"No, I don't, you are the one that brought me back, not Bacarra. He was sitting here basking in his evil glory while you nearly got yourself killed trying to resurrect me." Dylan countered.

"It was under his orders, Dylan and unfortunately that binds you to him. He needs you to regain the power you once possessed if he is to get what he's after." Davon explained.

Dylan closed her eyes, sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "It's always something with him, first he wants to gain the leadership of the Brotherhood and then he needs me for one of his schemes which I don't even know anything about. It's always some kind of mystery game."

Davon moved closer to her, a smirk crossing his dark features. "That's the idea; he doesn't want anyone to catch onto his plans. Yes, the Brotherhood is only the first step but even Bacarra knows the Matriarch won't go into the battle without help and he plans to be ready for when that time comes."

"Well, hopefully that battle isn't soon because I'm not even ready to take on tennis let alone an Ultimate Battle," Dylan said as she tried her best to rise to her feet. "Would you mind if I got myself something to eat and maybe get some sunlight? I hate being cooped up down here."

"We need to keep you hidden until you're ready, no one can know that you are alive yet," Davon cautioned the hot-headed demoness.

"I'm sure a trip to the kitchen won't alert the demonic-media, Davon." Dylan joked with a slight grin.

"Sorry, my dear, but you'll have to stay down here until your powers are able to cloak you again," Davon held out his hand and waved it in a circular motion. In a bright red glow a glass of milk and a plate containing a sandwich appeared. "I'm sure that will do for now."

"Milk?" Dylan asked, lifting the glass into her hands. "Let me guess; for strong bones, right?" The demoness gave the demon a mock smile.

"Smart girl," Davon said as he turned to head up the stairs. "Eat up; when I return our training session will begin."

(-v-)

The Old Man stood by the carved wall, caressing his now bruised neck. "I don't appreciate your ill-treatment of me, warlock."

"Oh, now it's warlock?" Bacarra asked. "You better watch yourself, you have been good to me, I won't deny that but it doesn't mean I won't kill you if you keep insulting me." Bacarra backed away from the wall until he was far enough, the crossed his arms. "What are you waiting for?"

The Old Man sighed softly, he knew the danger it entailed unleashing these beings but he'd rather not die at Bacarra's hands.

He stretched out his palms and they were immediately imbued with sparkling balls of golden light. He forced his hands forward, unleashing the light upon the door like water from a garden hose. The carvings began to fill up with the light as the Old Man fell to his knees, the power proving to be too great for him. He let out a heavy sigh as he dropped his hand, lowered both his shoulders and head. The light on the other hand continued to spread across the wall until there was nothing but the golden glow visible. A slight rumble began to echo through out the cave as the wall began to shake, mildly at first, until the roaring became louder and louder. Bacarra immediately lifted his hands to his ears to block out the overbearing noise. The Old Man tried his best to move further from the wall, but his strength was minimal. The wall began to shake rapidly and crumble until the light finally disappeared and the wall came tumbling down with a blast lifting Bacarra off his feet and slamming him into the far wall of the cave. The dust cloud that was created by blast began to recede to reveal three beings within a cavern behind the remains of the destroyed wall.

The beings were dressed in long crimson flowing hooded robes that were tied together by golden cords at the waist. As if they had practiced this before, the beings lifted their hands up to their hoods, fascinatingly in perfect unison and tipped it to reveal their faces. Their skin was pale and their eyes the inkiest black imaginable and all three had silver tresses that was tied back into a low ponytail. The middle being could now be classified as a female by her soft facial features. She glided forward, her feet not touching the ground, her male companions following suit.

Bacarra finally made it to his feet once more; brushing off his suit, disgust visible on his face at all the dust that clung to his clothes. He ignored it long enough to see the beings moving towards him. "Ah, excellent!" he beamed. "You three will truly come in handy."

(-v-)

Back at the Halliwell Manor, Piper stood behind the podium paging through the Book while Phoebe paced in front of her. Charlie was at the potions table, hard at work on her divination.

"I still can't believe you waited until now to tell me you have a whole new destiny?" Phoebe said.

Piper gave an annoyed groan as she looked to her sister. "Phoebe, give it a rest, will ya? You're driving me crazy."

"Do you understand how dangerous this destiny might be for you? Especially going at it alone?" Phoebe ranted.

"Seriously, what did they give you to drink on that plane?" Piper said, glancing at Charlie who gave a snicker as she continued to work on her potion.

"Piper, _you_ need to take this seriously," Phoebe said, placing her hands on the podium and looking her sister worriedly in the eyes.

"Do you think I'm not?" Piper asked, slightly insulted. "This is the second scariest thing that has ever happened to me. Believe me; I'm taking this seriously especially with the Brotherhood suddenly showing their ugly faces again."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe breathed. "I'm just worried about you and I can't handle the fact that Paige and I can't help you in this."

"Okay, there's nothing that says you guys will _never_ help me, you hopefully don't expect me to claim back Magic School on my own, do you?" Piper questioned with a nervous grin.

Phoebe gave a reassuring smile. "Of course not, we're going to win back the school together, for good."

Charlie stood by the chalice adding in an ingredient, as the ingredients reached the potion, an explosion erupted. "Whoa!" Charlie exclaimed, stepping back and swatting the smoke from her face.

Both sisters glanced towards Charlie, both wearing slight grins on their faces. "Yeah, I should have warned you to stand back." Piper said.

"Little too late," Charlie smiled.

The witches searched the room as they heard the familiar jingle that followed the power of orbing. "It's probably Paige," Piper said, closing the Book and moving out from behind the podium. Orbs showered into the room and teleported the Elder, Odin, into the attic. "Sadly not."

Odin, dressed in his flowing golden lined white robe, grimaced at the Charmed sisters. "It's nice to see you two as well,"

Charlie stared at great wonderment at the robed man as she moved closer to her cousins. "Who are you?"

"I'm an Elder," Odin said, before looking at the sisters. "Doesn't she know anything?"

Piper scoffed at the Elder, not amused by his words. "Did you come down from your lofty perch to just be rude, or do you actually have a reason for bugging us?"

"Since you have furiously refused a Whitelighter, sending me is the only way to bring important messages to you." Odin countered her question.

"I have a Whitelighter and her name is Paige, thank you very much." Piper defended.

"Why couldn't you give Paige this information?" Phoebe questioned.

"Paige is preoccupied with other things at this time, so here I am and I would love to share my information with you if you would give me the opportunity to do so." Odin said.

"Ugh!" Piper rolled her eyes before lifting her hand, indicating for the Elder to speak.

Odin began to pace as he explained his reason for coming to them. "We have a serious situation; we have been alerted that ancient demons have been released."

"Ancient demons?" Charlie asked.

"Is she slow or something?" Odin asked.

"Uh," Charlie groaned softly as she lowered her head feeling embarrassed.

"Listen, quit the mudslinging against my cousin and get to the point before I evict you from my house." Piper warned, raising a threatening finger at the Elder. There had never been any love lost between Piper and the Elders but especially between her and Odin. Piper would only deal with certain Elders and with sending her least favourite Elder down, annoyed the Charmed One to no end.

"Very well." Odin agreed. "These demons have been entombed with good reason, they are too powerful to roam the earth," The Elder stood still as he crossed his arms, the sleeve of his robe waving at the movement. "They are called Projection Demons and as you can tell by the name, the power they possess is great."

"So they have the same power as Billie but greater?" Phoebe questioned.

"Much greater," Odin replied.

"Who would be stupid enough to unearth them?" Piper asked, annoyed.

"Maybe the New Power?" Charlie suggested, "Or the Brotherhood?"

"The Brotherhood is rising again?" Odin questioned.

"Now who knows nothing?" Piper rhetorically asked.

Odin did not respond to Piper's remark, "You should research these beings and find a way to vanquish them before they find a way to break free from being entombed once more."

Piper moved forward, crossing her arms. "Are you telling me you have no idea on how to vanquish them?"

"Unfortunately, no," Odin replied, clasping his hands together.

"Why am I not surprised?" Piper mocked, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Phoebe approached Piper before speaking. "So what do you suggest we do with these demons if you guys don't even know how to vanquish them?"

"Research, my dear. You don't expect us to hand you everything on a silver platter, do you?" Odin smirked as glowing blue orbs surrounded him and teleported him from the attic.

"Oh, he is such a delight," Piper said through gritted teeth.

"Tell me about it," Phoebe agreed.

Piper followed behind Charlie who was moving back to the potions table. "Are you okay?" The Witch cast a worried glance at her cousin.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I guess it's the annual "pick on Charlie day"." The young witch said, hoping to make a joke of it but in reality it had been quite a day so far with Phoebe doubting her intentions and the Elder defaming her character. She breathed heavily before lowering her eyes back to the chalice to continue her divining for the second time.

Piper glanced over her shoulder at Phoebe and glared at her. "What?" Phoebe mouthed.

"Alright, we should probably get our Wiccan noses back in that Book and see if we can find anything on these demons before they decide to do a house call." Piper suggested as she moved back to the Book and flipped it open.

Phoebe dug her hands in her jeans' back pockets while moving to Charlie who was now stirring the potion while adding a few ingredients. "You need some help?"

Charlie glanced up at Phoebe; she seemed to want to genuinely help her out. "Would you just keep stirring? I just need to go get my cellphone downstairs in case Dominic calls."

"I'd be happy to," Phoebe moved in behind the potion table to continue stirring.

Charlie dusted off her hands before walking towards the attic door. Once Charlie was safely out of sight Phoebe looked to Piper. "See? I'm trying."

"Good," Piper responded. "Keep it up." The witch lowered her eyes to the Book, hoping to find at least something on these ancient demons. _So much for being demon free, _she thought to herself.

(-v-)

Bacarra paced in front of the ancient demons whose feet were now firmly planted on the ground. He turned to them, radiating defiance. "Do you understand your objective?"

Once again, in perfect unison the beings nodded their heads. Their lips did not dare to utter a single word whatsoever. Bacarra stared at them in wonderment; while he was explaining their orders to them, they did not move, did not even blink. The warlock wondered if they could even speak at all, but that was not his main concern at that point. He needed the new witch out of the way and as long as these demons were able to do that, he'd be pleased.

"You now have your orders," The warlock reminded. "Remember, eliminate the witch and then you'll be free to roam the earth for as long as you please."

Bacarra could swear he saw a hint of a smirk on their faces before the demons on the opposite sides of the female were enveloped in a great red glow, similar to that of Astral Projection but much greater; almost blinding. The demons were collected in the glow and then came together in the middle, collecting the female demon as well before disappearing. The warlock stood still for a moment before sinking his hands into the pockets of his black pants. He smirked before turning to the Old Man who was barely conscious in the corner of the cavern.

"You have no idea what you have done, Bacarra, you might just have released the end of all of us." The Old Man croaked, lifting his head from the ground before dropping it once more, breathing his final breath. His body exploded into a mixture of gold and black particles before dissipating.

"Not the end of us, just the end of the witch," Bacarra mused before turning once more, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

(-v-)

Phoebe lifted her gaze from the brewing potion to her sister who was still flipping through the pages; her forehead crinkling with confusion at every turn of a page. "Stop frowning so much, Missy, you'll get wrinkles."

Piper gazed up from the Book, her forehead even more creased now; she raised her eyes, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see the wrinkles. She sighed before looking back at Phoebe. "Trust me; demon hunting is the easiest way to obtain wrinkles especially when you can't find the demons that are apparently so powerful they could probably project you into the deepest darkest hole in the world."

"Wow, I didn't think of it that way," Phoebe said, her own forehead now creasing.

"See?" Piper asked, pointing at Phoebe's forehead. "Frowning comes with the territory."

Phoebe gave a faint chuckle before stirring the potion once more.

(-v-)

Charlie skipped down the stairs and down to the ground floor, sliding her hand down the banister as she descended the stairs. She moved towards the sitting room where she had left her purse earlier when she and Piper were chatting. She bent over and picked up the purse from the table and began rummaging through it for her cellphone. "Come on, you little sucker, where are you?" she muttered.

Charlie halted any movement when she felt a presence behind her. She lifted her eyes from the inside of her purse and turned her head towards the entryway to the living room where the three beings stood. "Who are you?"

The beings didn't speak as they levitated up from the floor and floated towards Charlie. Charlie immediately dropped her purse and brought her right hand up to her mouth, releasing a gust of icy wind towards the demons. They simply kept moving as they lifted their hands and with a red glow, absorbed the ice into their hands, causing it to become deathly pale.

"Uh, Piper!" Charlie called out, inching away from the oncoming demons.

The demons twirled their hands and released the icy blast back at Charlie causing her to be hurtled across the room. The young witch collided with the couch that flipped over and then finally plowed into the table by the large stained glass window causing all the objects on the table to break as well.

(-v-)

Piper and Phoebe, who both were now at the Book of Shadows, raised the heads instantly as they heard the commotion downstairs. Piper's expression instantly grew with concern. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "Charlie!"

The sisters moved out from behind the Book and grabbed hands before rushing out of the attic to get downstairs as fast as they possibly could.

(-v-)

Charlie groaned and coughed slightly as she tried to sit up. Shattered pieces of photo frames and an antique vase lay scattered across the floor and even on Charlie who lay between the splintered wood of the table, blood trickling from her arm and her nose. Her face grew contorted from the pain her arm inflicted.

With a combined wave of their left arms, the demons moved the couch to the side of the room, flipping it over and causing the stereo to be crushed underneath the weight of the object. They kept their inky eyes on Charlie, not sneaking a single blink. Charlie sobbed softly as she held onto her injured arm.

_Where are Piper and Phoebe? _she thought to herself.

The witch felt something intense rise within her, it was something she hadn't experienced much in her 26 years of life; it was fear. Fear of what was about to happen to her.

The female demon clasped her hands together and held it out in front of her while the males each placed a hand on top of hers, combining their powers. A great red glow emanated from their combined hands and released a beam of power towards Charlie's head. She gasped loudly as her eyes fell closed.

"Hey!" Piper cried out as she and Phoebe finally entered the room. She instinctively raised her hands and flicked them, releasing a blast at the demons' backs. The demons turned to Piper; they were clearly annoyed at her interference.

Phoebe approached the demon on the right and released a round-house kick in his direction. The demon suddenly grabbed her leg and threw it back; causing Phoebe to cry out in pain as he finally backhanded her. Phoebe fell to the floor, groaning in agony. Piper flicked her hands again but her power had no effect, they simply caught the power in their hands just like they did with Charlie's power.

Piper stared at them nervously as they pushed out their hands and released the blast back at the witch. Piper was lifted off her feet and traveled through the door way to the living room and skidded across the room on her stomach.

The demons, who had now gotten the witches out of the way, concentrated on their prime directive once more. Just like they had teleported before, they were collected by the red glow in the same process but this time the light did not travel away. It hung in the air for a moment before it dived down towards Charlie and enveloped her entire head with the red glow until it was finally gone.

(-v-)

Charlie stood in the living room, inspecting her surrounding and glancing down at her bruised and injured body. The manor was dark, as if the daylight had been sucked from the world. The lights were dimmed but it couldn't defeat the overpowering darkness.

Charlie recalled what had happened before she ended up here, she knew the feeling, she recognized the state of where she was; it was something she had only recently become accustomed too. Panic began to rise within the witch as the realization hit her. She was trapped in one of her visions, but more specifically, her subconscious. .

"Piper? Phoebe?" Charlie called out, tears welling up in her eyes. "Help me!"

(-v-)

Phoebe groaned as she sat up on the floor. "Piper?" she called. "Piper, are you okay?"

"Oh, sure, I'm just peachy," Piper responded, pushing herself up from the floor. She sat for a moment holding her right arm that was seriously bruised. Piper groaned as she lifted herself up and moved to her sister who was also recovering from her fall. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, my leg kind of hurts but I'm sure it's nothing serious," Phoebe brushed it off but in reality her leg did hurt, it hurt quite a bit. The middle Charmed One turned her attention to their unconscious cousin who was still laying amongst the rubble. "Oh my God, Charlie!"

Piper rushed to her cousin's side as Phoebe limped slightly behind her. Piper fell to the ground, pushing any pain she was feeling aside. She took Charlie's hand that was covered in drops of blood and felt for a pulse. "She's alive, but her heart rate is really slow."

Phoebe knelt down next to Piper, trying her best not to show the pain she was in. "Charlie?" she said. "Come on, Charlie, wake up!" Phoebe placed her hand on Charlie's arm and was immediately sucked into a premonition.

_Charlie came running down the stairs of the Manor and stopped on the landing, glancing up to the top of the stairs. The lights began to flicker as a panting Charlie continued down the stairs, trying her best to escape the demons who were after her._

Phoebe's eyes flew open and gazed into the eyes of a worried Piper. "What did you see?" Her sister questioned.

Phoebe brought her hand up to her head before explaining. "I saw Charlie here in the manor, she was running."

"Running?" Piper asked. "Running from the demons?"

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "I would assume so."

"Anything else?" Piper questioned, hoping that her sister could give them any indication on what was going on.

"The whole vision seemed funny to me, like I've seen it before." Phoebe said, trying to make sense of what she had seen. It had seemed extremely familiar to her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"What, like déjà vu?" Piper asked, checking on Charlie's breathing again.

"No, it wasn't the vision itself that seemed familiar; it was the setting of it all. It was kind of similar to the Manor when we were in those dream worlds. You know the ones Billie put us in?" Phoebe explained.

"Why is it that that girl's name has come up so much today?" Piper asked, annoyed.

"Piper!" Phoebe warned.

Piper wiggled her lips. "Fine, that's an argument for another day." she said. "So you said that it looked like the dream world?"

"You think the demons might have projected her into a dream?" Phoebe questioned, trying to get comfortable on the wooden floor and brushing away the remains of the broken objects.

Piper's eyes widened as she gaped, "Or they trapped her in her power."

"Uh, would you repeat that, please?" Phoebe said, shaking her head in confusion.

"I explained to you about Charlie's Astral Premonition power, she told me this morning if she's not careful with the power she could get trapped in a vision or in her subconsious. What if she is?"

"What if she's what?"

"Trapped in her subconscious," Piper responded. "What if the demons projected her into a vision and projected themselves into it as well. You said she was running from them. Maybe that's the only way they can kill her, in her subconscious. It's kind of like the Dream Sorcerer, remember?"

"Yeah, Piper, but he threw people off of high buildings to kill them." Phoebe argued.

"You say tomato," Piper said as she stood up again. "Do you think you can help me get her on the couch? We can't just leave her on the floor while we're trying to find a way to save her."

Phoebe nodded as she stood up as well to assist her sister.

(-v-)

Charlie now stood in the second floor hallway, creeping as quietly as she could. She didn't want to alert the demons to her location. She had dodged them through out the manor trying to reach the attic. She glanced around the corner as she saw one of the demons, searching the rooms down the other hall. Charlie knew it wasn't a good thing that the demons had split up; this made her avoiding them much harder. She finally took the chance and hurried to the left and finally climbed the stairs to the attic.

As she entered the attic, she saw that everything looked the same, potion vials were neatly arranged on the table, The Book of Shadows was on its pedestal but even the attic was bathed in darkness. Charlie hurried to the Book and flipped it open, hoping to find something to help her. "Come on, come on, there has to be something here," She continued to flip through the Book as a red glow materialized in the center of the attic. Charlie's hands immediately halted any movement as she gazed up at the female demon standing across from her.

The demon lifted her hand and released a red blast towards Charlie. The witch jumped out of the way as the blast hit the Book of Shadows, knocking it off its now destroyed podium and leaving the Book to fall in the far side of the room.

"Oh my God," Charlie breathed, trying to make it to her feet. She lifted her hand to her mouth again, releasing a breath of ice but barely anything manifested from her palm. "What the hell is wrong with my power?"

The demon levitated towards her as Charlie made a run for the potions table, grabbing the hand grenade potion and hurling it at the demon, the explosion caused her to fall backwards. Charlie took the opportunity to escape while the demon was detained.

The witch's heart pounded as she panted heavily while running down the stairs to the second floor. She rounded the corner to the stairs to head on downstairs. She descended the stairs and ran towards the sitting room; she immediately ducked behind the couch by the window. The table she had crashed into in the real world was no longer broken in this world. She sunk back behind the couch, praying that the demons wouldn't find her for a while. "Someone, please help me," she begged, closing her eyes.

(-v-)

The sisters were now back up in the attic, desperately trying to find a way to save their cousin who was now laying on the round carpet with her head comfortably laid on a large blue pillow. Phoebe gingerly placed a blanket over her.

"We need to find a way to get her back and quick; we don't know what can happen to her." Piper said as she flipped through the Book.

"Wait a minute," Phoebe said, moving back towards Piper and the Book.

"What?"

"Remember when the Source tapped into your mind to get you to give up your powers?" Phoebe questioned.

"Hard to forget that experience," Piper commented.

Phoebe began to pace as she explained her idea further, "I could use the Mind Link spell Paige and I used to get into your mind, to do the same to Charlie."

"Then do what?" Piper asked.

"Try to eject the demons from her mind so that she'll project back into her body." Phoebe said.

"I don't know, Phoebe," Piper commented. "That's a long shot especially since these demons are so powerful and you don't have any active powers."

"We can't just leave her in there, Piper, she could be killed." Phoebe pressed. "If anything I'll go into her mind and try to help while you try to find a way to vanquish them."

"Thanks for sticking me with the easy job," Piper responded, sarcastically.

"It's the only idea I've got right now," Phoebe admitted. "You have other suggestions?"

"No, and I don't think we have time to come up with other ideas," Piper said, returning to her flipping and searching for the Mind Link spell. She stopped at the page and placing her hand over it before glancing up at Phoebe. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's like you said, Charlie needs help and this is my way of making things right between us." Phoebe said.

"Alrighty," Piper said, lifting the Book from the podium and moving over to Charlie.

Phoebe grabbed another pillow and moved over to Charlie. She lowered herself down to the floor and sat down next to her cousin. Piper handed the Book to her and then moved over to the cabinet to retrieve five white candles. She grabbed the lighter and held onto the candles while moving back to Charlie and Phoebe. Phoebe positioned the Book in between her and Charlie while Piper placed the candles around them and moving in a clockwise position to light each of the wicks. Phoebe glanced down at the page and memorized the return spell to get out if needed.

Piper rose up from lighting the last candle. "Okay, candles are set, now it's all you. Be careful." Piper lowered down to her sister's side to assist.

Phoebe nodded as she placed her left hand on Charlie's head and lowering her eyes to the Book to chant the spell.

"_Life to life, mind to mind,_

_my spirit now will intertwine._

_I meld my soul_

_And journey to_

_The one whose thoughts_

_I wish I knew._"

Phoebe gasped as her soul left her body causing her to fall back. Piper grabbed a hold of Phoebe's soulless body and carefully laid her down next to Charlie.

The witch stood up and placed her hands on her hips while sighing. "Okay, time to find a way to vanquish these demons," Piper moved back towards the Book as she heard Leo call out to her from downstairs. "In the attic!"

A few moments later Leo entered the attic now dressed in dark jeans and a gray t-shirt, a look of concern was etched on his face. "What happened downstairs?" He then glanced over at the two unconscious witches in the middle of the attic. "What's going on?"

"We've got some problems," Piper said, looking up at her husband. "Where are the boys?"

"They're with your dad, it's their sleepover weekend, remember?" Leo replied. "What kind of problems do we have?"

"Odin paid us a little visit to inform us that some ancient demons have been released and we weren't prepared and they attacked Charlie." Piper explained.

"What kind of ancient demons?" Leo questioned.

"Projection demons," Piper responded.

"Projection demons?"

"We think they might have trapped Charlie in her astral premonition power so Phoebe used a mind link spell to get in her mind to protect her while I figure out a way to save them both." Piper quickly explained. "Have you come across them before?"

Leo folded his arms over his broad chest as he moved forward. "No, but I've taught classes where we discussed Ancient Demons and these particular demons are some of the most powerful ones out there, Piper."

"So what, are we screwed?" Piper asked, closing the Book with a thud.

"I don't think so," Leo replied. "I remember when I was down in that Egyptian tomb with Zankou, that wall spoke of many ancient beings like the Avatars, Projection Demons were mentioned as well but Zankou destroyed that wall after we made the Avatar vanquishing potion."

"Now why the hell would he go and do that?" Piper asked, annoyance at her former enemy audible in her tone.

"It's kind of like a one time thing, he encrypted the potion which led to the wall destroying itself and somehow it destroyed some other sections of the wall too," Leo explained.

"How did you know what was written on the walls?" Piper asked. "As far as I know, you don't read Egyptian."

"When I was an Elder, I could read and understand any language," Leo explained. "Kind of a perk that comes with the job."

"Hang on a second," Piper said. "Then why did you have such a hard time learning Italian when we went on our orbing vacation?"

"I was acting, I didn't want to come off as a know-it-all," Leo admitted.

"Oh, honey, sorry to disappoint you but you've always been a little bit of a know-it-all," Piper said with a smile.

Leo smiled though deep down he was slightly embarrassed.

"Is there a way to vanquish them?" Piper asked, stepping out from behind the podium.

"As far as I know, no," Leo answered. "There was a potion on the wall to help entomb them again, but I'm pretty sure there might be some information in one of the guides at Magic School."

For a moment, Piper could see a twinkle in Leo's eye. He had so much knowledge to share which he accumulated in his time as a whitelighter, he wasn't called a walking Book of Shadows for nothing. This made Piper even more determined to win back the school, not just for the sake of good but for her husband as well.

"So I have to go to Magic School then?" Piper asked.

"I'm going with you," Leo announced. "The books are a mess there; you might need my help to find it,"

"Leo," Piper was about to argue his decision but stopped short.

"Piper, we can't argue about this now. Your sister and your cousin's lives are at stake here and I want to help in any way possible," Leo interjected. "Please don't try to talk me out of this."

Piper narrowed her eyes at her husband, knowing that there was no way to convince him to stay behind. "Fine, but grab some vanquishing potions. That place is still crawling with demons and you need a way to protect yourself," Leo nodded his head as Piper walked over to the large cabinet to retrieve some of the newly stacked teleporting potions.

(-v-)

Phoebe appeared in a flash of white light in the living room. She studied the darkened manor, her eyes searching for her cousin. "Charlie?"

"Phoebe?" Charlie answered from behind the couch.

Phoebe rushed over to behind the couch and fell down next to her cousin. "Are you okay?"

Charlie shook her head furiously. "Not really, I'm scared out of my mind."

"It's okay; I came to help you," Phoebe said, placing a comforting hand on Charlie's arm. "Piper's trying to find a way to save us."

"Phoebe, you don't get it. These demons are powerful, they can project anything. Powers, objects, creatures...I've been dodging flying furniture all over the house and running from a wolf." Charlie said, showing her other arm to her cousin. Her white blouse was torn and claw marks covered her bloody arm.

"Oh my God, we need to get out of here," Phoebe said, turning around and sitting on her knees while peering over the couch. The witch's heart began to pound as she heard growling. "How many wolves are there exactly?"

"Just one the last time I checked," Charlie replied, turning to peer over the couch as well.

"Well there's two now," Phoebe informed as she stood up from behind the couch and grabbed hold of Charlie to help her up as well. "Run!"

Charlie did what she was told and ran to the door that led to the conservatory. Phoebe was right behind her as one of the wolves advanced on them. It jumped onto the chair and made a final jump at the cousins. Phoebe immediately grabbed the chair by the fireplace and swung it in the direction of the leaping wolf. As the chair hit the beast, it fell to the ground and whined from the pain before disappearing in a burst of red lights.

Charlie was already waiting in the conservatory when Phoebe joined her. "Where's the other one?"

Phoebe's eyes carefully searched the room. "I don't know, but he's here somewhere."

Both witches shrieked as the other wolf came running at them from the stairs. "Use your powers!" Phoebe squealed.

"They don't work here!" Charlie squealed back as Phoebe grabbed her hand and made a run for it. As the wolf skidded into the conservatory, knocking over the coffee table, Phoebe and Charlie were already in the dining room, running for the kitchen.

Charlie was the first to run into the kitchen and Phoebe was hot on her heels. Both of them now stood by the cabinets, backing into the corner. Phoebe's eyes immediately rested on the box of knives. She swiped the largest knife and held it up in her right hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" Charlie panted.

Phoebe's grip tightened around the hilt as she heard the wolf's growls becoming louder. "They are only projections of wolves, if you injure them they'll go away."

The wolf finally entered the kitchen, saliva dripping from its mouth, its lips trembling with every growl to reveal its carnivorous teeth.

The wolf leapt at the witches as Phoebe stormed forward and rammed the blade into its body. Both fell to the floor as the wolf began to howl in agony as he was engulfed in the same red glow as the previous projection.

Phoebe let go of the knife as the wolf finally disappeared. "We need weapons and potions,"

"There are potions in the attic," Charlie informed.

"Look, you head on down to the basement, if this Manor is like the real one there should be a trunk with training weapons and crystals down there," Phoebe explained. "Pack out some of the weapons and surround yourself with the crystals."

"I don't know if the crystals will work, if my magic isn't working how can you be sure that the crystals will?" Charlie questioned.

"Did you use any of the potions up stairs?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes,"

"Did they work?"

"Yes,"

"So maybe magic that originates from witches don't work but basic magic still does," Phoebe suggested. "Grab some hydrogen peroxide and a few cloths from the closet and get down stairs, I'll get the potions."

"Phoebe, I can't let you go up there alone," Charlie argued.

"Listen, it's better if just one of us goes. Having both of us running around the Manor will only complicate things. I'll be okay, I promise." Without another word Phoebe left the kitchen, leaving Charlie all alone.

"Be careful," Charlie whispered, turning to the kitchen closet to retrieve the items she needed to tend to her injured arm.

(-v-)

Phoebe rounded the corner into the dinning room and hurried for the stairs hoping the demons wouldn't show their faces but to her dismay, all three of them were aligned in the living room staring at her.

"Uh, oh!" Phoebe muttered as the demons raised their hands and produced crimson balls of energy and hurled it at her. The witch fell to the stairs as the energy balls collided with the banister and sent splintered wood across the room. Phoebe groaned as she got to her feet once more and hurried up the stairs, hoping to get to the attic in one piece. "Piper, hurry!"

(-v-)

In a plume of white smoke, Piper and Leo emerged from the dissipating haze in Leo's old office. Piper positioned her potion purse that hung over her shoulder before moving forward with Leo trailing behind her. "Where is this book, Leo?" Piper questioned.

"I can't be sure. Since the demons took over, everything is out of order," Leo replied. "You check in here and I'll check in the Great Hall."

Leo didn't wait for Piper to protest as he rushed out of the room to the Great Hall. Piper moved over to the bookshelf, lifted her hands to the aligned books and ran her hand over the spines as she read the titles, trying to find "_The Ancient Scrolls_". Piper whirled her head to the door as she heard a crash and grunting coming from the Great Hall. "Leo?!"

Piper rushed out of the room and ran for the Great Hall. As she arrived in the room, she saw two demons wielding fireballs in their palms and Leo lying between the remains of a book cart in the far end of the room, his vanquishing potions shattered on the floor. The witch raised her hands and with a flick of her hands she blew up the laming fireballs causing the demons to soar across the room.

Leo soon recovered from his fall and hurried to his wife's side. He removed two vanquishing potions from Piper's purse and hurled it at the recovering demons, who screamed in agony as the potions finally consumed them in a fiery death. "Who's helpless now?" he mocked.

"Okay, honey, the book now, bragging later." Piper said, giving Leo a pat on the back.

"I found it right before the demons attacked me," Leo said, moving back to the destroyed pieces of the cart. He knelt down and picked up the medium sized leather-bound tome. He opened it to the appropriate place and handed it to Piper.

The Witch gave the page a quick glance and admired the small pendant that was attached to the page. "The Elders really need to take a few courses here, they might actually gain some knowledge," Piper closed the book and tucked it under her arm. With her other hand, she removed the teleporting potion and handed it to Leo. "Would you do the honours?"

Leo smiled as Piper held onto his arm, indicating that he could drop the potion. He did so and they both were collected by the swirling smoke and carried home.

(-v-)

Phoebe grabbed the large backpack in the attic and moved over to the potions table and collected as many potions as she possibly could. The witch gave a start as the demons appeared before her, clearly not impressed with her interference. The joined their hands once more and caused two snakes to appear by Phoebe's feet in a red blaze.

"Oh," Phoebe breathed as she inched away from the rather large, spitting snakes. The middle Charmed One dug her hand into the backpack and removed a vanquishing potion and threw it at the slivering creatures. The snakes began to curl up as they disappeared once more. "Ha! Bet you didn't think we'd figure out how to get rid of your little projections, now did ya?"

The demons' anger increased as they raised their hands and instantly encaged Phoebe in an electrifying crimson forcefield. Phoebe moved forward and her body was electrocuted by the immense power the cage possessed. She screamed as she fell to the floor, her body giving an occasional jolt. The demons appeared to smile at their entrapment of the witch, before disappearing in their usual fashion to find their target once more.

Phoebe groaned as she slowly rolled onto her left side, bringing her knees up, wishing the pain to go away. "Piper..." she said faintly before losing consciousness.

(-v-)

Piper added the powdered toadstool to the vanquishing potion which caused the bubbling concoction to release a plume of red smoke. "Vanquishing potion is done," she announced to her husband who was writing down the entombing spell for her.

"Good, because I don't think the girls are doing so great." Leo said, pointing at Phoebe who was moaning softly. He moved closer to Charlie and noticed the blood that was seeping through the sleeve of her blouse.

"I hope they're okay," Piper said as she quickly bottled three vials and moved to Leo. "Okay, so what do I need to know?"

Leo lifted the pendant off of the page and handed it to Piper. "This will protect you from their power," He then handed her two pieces of paper. "One page is a spell to teleport you into Charlie's mind since she's the one they are controlling and the other is to entomb the demons. You'll have full control over your powers since _you_ will teleport into Charlie's mind, not just your subconscious."

"Won't I need more power for the spell?" Piper asked. "And will I still have the potions once I get in there?"

Leo shook his head. "No, the potion is plenty powerful; the spell is only an enhancement to make sure they are entombed for good," he explained. "You'll have the potions, remember, the pendant deflects their magic so you'll be teleporting into Charlie's mind not projecting."

"Okay, I better get in there," Piper said, placing the potions and the vanquishing spell in her purse and the pendant around her neck. "Wish me luck," Piper moved over to her sister and cousin. She situated herself next to Charlie, placed her hand on her cousin's forehead and began chanting.

"_Ancient powers I call to thee,_

_Assist me now on this, my journey._

_To the world where there's no truth but only lies,_

_Teleport me into the mind's eye."_

Sparkles of white light began to surround Piper, collecting her from this world to teleport her into that of another. The dancing light traveled downwards until it absorbed into Charlie's head.

"Good luck," Leo breathed.

(-v-)

Charlie sat in the corner of the basement surrounded by crystals and some weapons she had removed from the trunk. She occasionally glanced up to the door, hoping that Phoebe would come through it. She glanced to her left as swirling white lights appeared in the room. Charlie couldn't describe the relief she felt when she saw Piper appear behind the white lights.

She jumped up from the ground, stepped out of the crystal cage and ran over to Piper happily. "Oh my God, Piper, I'm so happy to see you!"

Piper gave a sigh of relief. "I'm happy you're okay," The witch took Charlie's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Where's Phoebe?"

"She went up to the attic to get potions but she's been gone for a while now," Charlie replied.

"Okay, I've got the potions and the spell to entomb these demons for good. Let's find Phoebe." Piper said, grabbing Charlie's hand. The witches hurried across the room and up the stairs.

(-v-)

Phoebe tried to stifle back her sobs as she remained on the floor inside her crackling cage. She gathered enough strength to lift her head when she heard approaching footsteps.

Piper's eyes widened as she saw her sister lying inside the cage. "Oh, God, Phoebe!" She fell down next to the cage.

"Don't...touch...it," Phoebe drawled, weakly.

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked, worriedly as she came up behind them.

Piper shook her head uncertainly. "I don't know, we need to get rid of those demons, it's probably the only way to get her out."

Charlie looked over her shoulder as crimson light filled the dark attic. "Uh, Piper, they're here."

Piper bounded up from the floor to see the three beings staring at them. "Nice to see you three again, but I'm sorry I have to cut the visit short," She dug her hands into the potions purse and pulled out all three of the vials that contained the blood red liquid.

The demons bound together and created a large crimson energy ball and hurled it at Piper and Charlie. Piper pushed Charlie in behind her as the ball traveled towards them and finally disappeared into the pendant around Piper's neck.

"Nice try," Piper said as she hurled the potions at the demons' feet.

Red smoke began to circulate around the pasty demons as their shrill cries filled the attic. They closed their eyes and brought up their fists in pure agony as the smoke began to consume them from the feet up. Piper retrieved the spell from her purse as Charlie moved forward to assist with the chant. Piper smiled at her gratefully as they began chanting.

"_From ancient times this power came,_

_Creating illusions that are never the same._

_Take them now, remove these fiends,_

_For their power can no longer be."_

The smoke intensified as it spun faster and faster around the beings until they were no longer visible but their cries could still be heard as they were finally teleported away in a fury of flames.

(-v-)

The flames swirled into the cavern once more and shot into the opening from which the demons had first emerged. The rubble and debris from the ground began to rise up and reconstituted the wall, finally entrapping the Projection Demons, hopefully for hundreds of years.

(-v-)

Piper and Charlie shared grateful smiles before Piper glanced down at her body as it was consumed by the white lights that brought her into this world. Both Charlie and Phoebe gasped as they disappeared in a red and white glow respectively. Piper gave the room one final glance as she finally disappeared as well.

(-v-)

Phoebe and Charlie both gasped as they jerked up from the floor, both of them groaned loudly. Piper was the last to appear in the attic.

"Thank God," Leo said as he approached them.

"Don't thank him yet, I'm not completely sure that I'm back in my body," Phoebe complained, bringing both her hands to her temples and rubbing them.

Piper removed her purse from her shoulders and placed it on the potion table. "Are you two okay?"

"Thanks to you, that was quite spell." Charlie complimented as she slowly rose to her feet, her body still aching from the injuries that had been inflicted upon her in the real world and her vision world.

"Don't thank me, thank Leo. Without him I wouldn't have known how to save you guys." Piper said, placing her hand on Leo's shoulder and gave it a proud squeeze.

"Guess you aren't as useless as you thought you were," Phoebe smiled. Everyone gave her a stare that made Phoebe blush. "Oh, you know what I mean," She waved her hand, hoping to dismiss her words.

Everyone smiled, happy to be back in the real world and above all, safe. Piper wrapped her arm around Leo's waist as he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a peck on the head. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed her husband's embrace. Even with a little help from Leo, she was able to save her family and that gave Piper a great feeling of satisfaction, the feeling that maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to handle her impending destiny.

(-v-)

Davon shimmered into Bacarra's office that was lit by a single desk lamp; the chair's back was the only thing to be seen. "Bacarra?"

"The witch is still alive?" Bacarra asked.

"Yes, my sources have reported that Piper was able to entomb the demons." Davon replied carefully, hoping to not upset the Warlock.

"Well, no matter," Bacarra said, rising from his chair.

"What?" Davon questioned with a shocked tone.

"I've just come to a better understanding of Piper Halliwell." Bacarra explained. "Family means everything to her, it's her weakness and she'd do anything to save them. It's a great advantage for us."

"Aren't you the least bit upset that your plan failed?" Davon questioned with great confusion.

"I was anticipating it actually," Bacarra announced. "You see, Davon, everything is a test at this stage. Dylan was and even the Projection Demons. I've seen many demons fail over the years because they underestimate the power of good witches, especially the power of a Warren witch and their loyalty to their family."

"I'm not sure that I'm following you, Bacarra," Davon admitted.

"It's quite simple really. I selected the oh-so impatient Dylan to infiltrate Piper's life, at first to see how protected she is, if she was able to stand up against a threat on her own but I didn't anticipate that young Wyatt would save his mother," Bacarra explained. "The Projection Demons; I was well aware that there was a way to re-entomb them, information that Zankou entrusted me with, he never saw the need to use them but I did."

Bacarra moved down from the platform to Davon's side. "So all these attempts to get to the witches, you were just playing with them? Like a silly cat and mouse game?"

"Exactly, you need to know the extent of your enemies' abilities before you can even attempt to attack with full force," Bacarra responded. "It's all about strategy and once you know the inns and outs of you enemy, the time to attack will present itself. But we'll worry about the witches another day, for now I have an important ceremony to attend, one that will finally cement me in the history of the Underworld."

Bacarra lifted his hand and magically opened the office door; he started out of the office with Davon following close behind him. Once they were out of the room, the door magically closed with a thud.

(-v-)

Piper sat on her bed in her dimly lit bedroom, soaking up the silence within the room. Her eyes opened and glanced at the door as she heard three knocks. "Come in," The witch smiled as she saw Phoebe move into the room and close the door behind her.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Phoebe said, approaching the bed and sitting down next to her sister.

"No, I was just enjoying the peace and quite," Piper replied. "It's been quite a day,"

"Never a dull moment in the Halliwell Manor," Phoebe agreed.

Piper sat up and crossed her legs before speaking, "How's Charlie doing?"

"I think she'll be fine, a few cuts, scrapes and pains but she assured me she was fine," Phoebe replied. "I even offered to help her practice her AP power, you know just to make sure she doesn't get stuck in a vision again."

"That was nice of you," Piper complimented.

There was a moment of silence between the sisters as Phoebe became uncomfortable, guilty even. "Look, Piper…"

"Don't. I already know what you are going to say and it's fine," Piper smiled. "I know you are sorry that you weren't here when I found out of this Matriarch business but this isn't your burden to carry, it's mine. It's a destiny that's been handed to me and God only knows why, but everything happens for a reason, you taught me that."

"Well, aren't I good?" Phoebe chuckled. "How are you feeling, you know, about everything?"

"I'm just taking it one day at a time; I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it," Piper admitted. "But I'm sure things will be fine, it's not like this is the first destiny to sneak up on me."

Phoebe smiled. "That's very true, somehow I know you can handle this, Piper, you have always been strong; you just fail to see that," The middle Halliwell took Piper's hand in hers. "If anyone can do this, it's you."

"Thanks," Piper said, giving Phoebe's hand a squeeze. The witch eyed her sister carefully, feeling that something was amiss. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Phoebe dismissed the question with a wave of her hand.

"Phoebe, next to Grams, you are the worst liar in this family, what's going on?" Piper pressed on.

Phoebe hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should share the news she had with her sister. She lifted herself a few inches off the bed and tucked her hand into the left pocket of her jeans and pulled out a ring with a large rectangular white gem in the middle. She held it out to Piper.

Piper took the ring from Phoebe's hand and studied it, she knew the ring well, it was the ring that helped her travel back in time to save her family, it was Coop's cupid ring. "What are you doing with Coop's ring?" Piper asked, slight suspicion rising within her.

"There's something I've been keeping from you," Phoebe admitted.

"Phoebe, what's going on?" Piper asked, strongly.

"The Elders clipped Coop's wings after they found out that you used his ring to save us," Phoebe explained.

"What?" Piper breathed.

"They said even though Coop did a good thing, they can't condone that what he did was, in a sense, wrong," Phoebe continued. "He went against the Cupid Code and now he's being punished for helping you."

Piper shook her head, not believing what she was hearing as she returned the ring to Phoebe. "Is this why you have been so magic-lite lately? Because of Coop losing his powers?"

Phoebe didn't say anything; she only nodded her head while placing the ring back in her pocket.

"I'm so sorry, if I had known that the Elders would do that I would have come up with a different plan," Piper apologized.

"Piper, no one blames you, not even Coop. He knows that if he hadn't given you the ring that I wouldn't be here right now, Paige and I would be dead," Phoebe explained, taking Piper's hand again. "This has actually been a blessing for us; we have had the last three months to get to know each other on a mortal basis and not just on a magical one and one thing led to another and…"

"Are you pregnant?" Piper blurted.

"No," Phoebe laughed. "There's a reason Coop gave his ring to me, he asked me to marry him."

"Really?"

"Yeah,"

"Phoebe, not to rain on your parade but I don't think I can give you my blessing." Piper said.

Phoebe retracted her hand and gave Piper an angry stare. "Why?"

"I think you are rushing into things," Piper replied. "You and Coop barely know each other and I know that these past months have brought you closer but it doesn't mean you can delve into marriage before actually having a steady relationship before hand."

Phoebe's anger softened as she took Piper's words into account. "I didn't really think of it that way, I mean Coop has told me a lot of his past life and in reality we _still_ have a lot to learn about each other but in all honesty, I'm tired of waiting," The witch stood up from the bed and paced the room. "We all have been through so much and I just want to settle down already, get married to the man I love and have kids and go on with the natural cycle of life."

"But that doesn't justify hurrying into marriage, Phoebe, you've been through two already that ended in divorce, you really want to add a third to that list?" Piper questioned. "Do you really want to turn into Grams?"

Phoebe thought for a moment bringing her hands up to her face and groaning loudly. "I hate it when you're right,"

"It's a gift," Piper smirked. "Take your time, sweetie, enjoy this time to love each other and to learn more about one another. Build a relationship that will be worth the marriage, one that will last forever."

Phoebe tilted her head and smiled at Piper before moving forward and jumping onto the bed, pulling Piper into her embrace. "Thanks for the advice,"

"Hey, even "Ask Phoebe" is entitled to some outside advice," Piper said, releasing her sister. "So, you heading home?"

"Well since your beautiful sons are over at Dad's and Leo is out helping Mitchell at the garage, why don't I spend the night and we can hang out?"

"Like a slumber party?" Piper questioned, smiling.

"Why not?" Phoebe said. "Some nice DVD's, some popcorn, we'll do each other's nails and chat, that's something we have to catch up on."

"Okay, I cave," Piper smiled as Phoebe grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed. "Butter or salted?"

"I'd say both," Phoebe nodded, slinging her arm around Piper's shoulder as they moved towards the door.

Piper pulled open the door and allowed Phoebe to step out first. "Remind me to tell you about Chris playing basketball, orbing style."

"That should be entertaining," Phoebe laughed, putting her arm around Piper again and allowing her sister to do the same.

(-v-)

**Thanks so much for giving chapter 5 a read and I really hope that it was worth the wait. I just want to extend some thank you's. To Phoenixlighter for the basis of this chapter and to Nerf for pointing out some faults that are hopefully fixed now. LOL. Thanks again for the support and reading and I hope to see a nice little review from each of you. Believe it or not, but reviews really motivate me to write and I do appreciate every single one.**


	6. Hear Now The Words of The Witches

**A/N: Hey, guys. First off, I have no excuses this time. Simply, my writing time has become less and less so it's a wonder I get any chapters done. I know it's been a while since a chapter has been released so I hope this one will make up for the wait. Once again, this chapter was self-edited, meaning, there could be some errors. Feel free to point them out if you feel it's necessary. Enjoy this chapter. **

**Chapter 6 – Hear Now The Words Of The Witches**

**Teaserline: The time has come to correct some past wrongs...**

(-v-)

_**September 16, 2006**_

Boxes of different sizes littered the vast floor of the attic as the eldest Halliwell sat in the corner rummaging through an open box pulling out objects, studying them carefully before placing them in different boxes.

Leo came through the door, rolling down the sleeves of his brown jumper after finishing the morning dishes downstairs. "Isn't it a bit early for spring cleaning?"

Piper glanced over at her husband while pulling out some knick-knacks from the box before replying. "Well, with Charlie doing fine with the club and the boys being at school, I've had a lot of free time on my hands," Piper closed another box up and slid it over to the boxes to the right. "Besides, too many things are getting destroyed up here; I think they'd be safer in the basement."

"Good point." Leo agreed, digging his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "What's your little demon friend been up to?"

"He's been laying low lately, but I cast a spell on the scrying crystal so it will alert me when he resurfaces again," Piper replied as she pointed to the scrying table.

Leo made his way over to the table where the scrying crystal was swinging over the map by an invisible force, trying to trace the demon Piper had been after for the last couple of days. Leo moved over to the boxes that were closed up before asking. "Do these go to the basement?"

Piper glanced over her shoulder to the boxes Leo was pointing at. "Those on the left are staying up here; the ones on the right can go down."

Leo nodded as he lowered himself to the floor and picked up one of the larger boxes, he prepared himself to lift the heavy box, but to his relief, they weren't as heavy as he initially thought. He tightened his grip on the box before moving out of the attic, leaving Piper alone once more.

Piper was glad that she had actually found a moment to reorganize the attic. Her sons were off with Victor who insisted on taking the boys to the School Carnival that morning; she and Leo had promised that they would join them later on in the day. Charlie had been busy organizing bands and supervising the re-painting of the club; Piper knew that her cousin was trying to busy herself and trying to process her magical mishap with her powers that nearly claimed not only her life but Phoebe's as well a while ago.

Piper pulled a slightly bigger box closer to her and opened the flaps to reveal some old books that used to lay around her bedroom. The Witch lifted herself from the floor and onto her knees; this enabled her to see into the box much better. She dug her hands into the box and pulled out a few books, while sitting back down on the floor to sort through them. Piper glanced at each book, deciding which to store and which to keep in the attic. She pulled out a book of Witchcraft that Phoebe had read through when they were trying to get rid a Genie that was sent to them by the Council. The Witch thought it would be a nice book for Charlie to read through, so she set it aside. When her eyes glanced back to the next book, her heart sank. It was a thick white book with a pop-up pink material dress in the center over the cover with the name "Melinda" embroidered at the bottom left corner. Piper stared blankly at the cover for a moment, not knowing how to perceive the book she has spent months working on when she was pregnant three years ago, when she thought she was carrying the daughter she had long ago foreseen.

The longer she stared at the baby book, the more the guilt began to set in. Piper never admitted it to her family but even though she loved Wyatt since the day he came into the world, a small part of her felt disappointed that she hadn't given birth to the daughter she had longed for. At that moment she felt her emotions starting to tear her apart. She hadn't laid her eyes upon Melinda's baby book since the day Wyatt was born. After placing her newborn son to bed that night, Piper had snuck off to her bedroom to retrieve the book and to store it away, feeling that the book was an insult to her child. Seeing it again now brought up emotions Piper thought she had buried years ago.

With a slightly trembling hand she flipped open the cover and brushed her hand over the first entry she and Leo had constructed in her last trimester to welcome their newborn daughter to the world. Piper began to read the entry but forced herself to stop, squeezing her eyes shut and allowing single tear drops to roll over her cheeks. She couldn't bear to turn to the next page; the task seemed too hard, not to mention unfair to her sons for her to sit there and long for the daughter she didn't have.

Piper brought her palm up to her eyes and brushed away her tears as she heard Leo coming up the stairs. She quickly closed the book with a thud and placed it in a box with some of her other books. She quickly closed up the box and shoved it into the corner before Leo stepped into the room.

"You know, if you're really into spring cleaning we might want to take on the basement too. It's just as messy down there," Leo said as he moved towards the remaining few boxes that needed to be stored downstairs. Piper didn't respond; she sat completely still, glancing up at Leo occasionally. Leo glanced at his wife with concern. "Honey, you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You just seem a little distracted there," Leo said.

Before Piper could respond, her attention was drawn to her scrying crystal that was twirling wildly before finally falling down on the map with a thump. The Witch scurried up from the floor to the map to see where the demon was. As she peered upon the map, her thoughts on the baby book disappeared for a moment as she finally tracked down her demon. "Gotcha!" Piper grabbed her potion purse that was ready and waiting for her on the potions table before running to the door.

Leo stared at her in confusion. "Hold on, why aren't you using a teleporting potion to get there? You might lose him again."

Piper halted at the door while placing the purse over her shoulder. "These demons can sense magic so using the teleporting potion would be like sending him an invitation saying "I'm coming to getcha","

Leo nodded his head, understanding her reasons. "Be careful,"

Piper hurried back to Leo and gave him a goodbye kiss. "Aren't I always?" She gave Leo a reassuring smile before hurrying out the attic.

(-v-)

A bald haggard demon with unique tribal markings on the sides of his face rounded the corner and hurried down the soaked alley path with Piper hot on his heels, her hair whipping behind her as she rushed after him, an orange potion tightly gripped in her right hand. He came to a halt in front of a gate in the center of the alley, launched himself off the ground and grabbed hold of the gate as he began to clamber up it.

Piper came to a stand still, brushing a piece of her dark hair from her face before lifting her hand towards the demon. "Oh, no, you don't!" She flicked her hand, causing an explosion against the gate, forcing the demon to the ground.

He fell to the wet ground with a thump, groaning in pain, before turning onto his stomach and glaring at Piper. "You just pissed off the wrong demon, Witch," he snarled, rising to his feet.

"Oh yeah?" Piper challenged, holding out her arm, the orange potion still in hand. "Well, you just pissed off the wrong Witch, pal!" Without wasting another moment, she raised her arm and launched the potion at the demons.

As the thick liquid spread over his body, an orange glow began to swirl around him until nothing could be seen of the demon, only his bone-chilling screams could be heard. Piper slowly backed away knowing that that wasn't the desired effect she was going for. The glowing vortex began to expand, nearly filling up the alley path.

"Oh, crap!" Piper shrieked as the vortex exploded into thousands of orange and red particles and launched her into the air, causing her to land on a bunch of garbage bags next a large bottle green dumpster. The Witch groaned as she tried to sit up between the bags that were slipping out from under her. "Ugh!" She looked down at her red jacket, disgusted at the mucky green slime that now clung to her favourite piece of clothing. "Demon hunting is getting expensive," Piper crawled out from the bags and when she finally made it to her feet she wiped her hands on her jeans, desperately trying to rid her hands or the disgusting muck.

Piper gave the alleyway a relieved glance. Not only was she relieved that the demon was vanquished without a trace, she was also relieved that no one had seen the ol' mighty vanquish. The Witch turned on her heel as she hurried from the alley to the street where her car was parked. Even with the newly discovered teleporting potions, Piper was glad this demon gave her the opportunity to drive to a vanquish. It reminded her of the old days with Prue when they had to rush off to a vanquish by driving instead of orbing like they used to do with Paige.

Piper finally reached her car and climbed into the SUV, closing the door when she was finally seated inside. She turned the ignition and signaled before slowly making her way out of the parking spot to head on home.

(-v-)

The orange vortex that had blown to smithereens back in the alley suddenly appeared as a tiny spec on the ground, becoming bigger and bigger, continuing to swirl now in an anti-clockwise position. The vortex swirled up as it began to dissipate, leaving not a single trail of it being there to begin with. The glowing particles appeared up in the sky, high above San Francisco until it exploded once more, washing over the entire city.

(-v-)

Piper was patiently waiting at a red light, her mind occasionally flashing back to the baby book she had found, seeing the face of her daughter, when the orange particles washed over her. Even though the particles were invisible to Piper, she felt an eerie wind pass through her, causing the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She shivered slightly, her forehead creasing with slight confusion as to what just happened. The Witch shook her head, pushing the strange feeling aside as the traffic light turned green indicating that she could continue driving. Piper pulled away trying to avoid the nagging feeling in her gut that something was wrong.

(-v-)

The knob of the Manor's front door turned as Piper unlocked the door and opened it. She closed the door behind her as she placed her keys on the side table by the door before moving through the foyer towards the stairs, crying out for her husband. "Leo?" Piper's frown increased after a few seconds of silence, worriedly she cried out for Leo once more.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Piper's eyes widened, her mouth lowered into a gape as she slowly turned around to see a little brown-eyed girl smiling up at her. Piper felt her heart rate increasing and her breath becoming short as she stared down at the young girl. Was she imagining things? Was the girl standing before her only an apparition that stemmed from her mind?

The girl's smile transformed into a worried stare. "Mama, is something wrong?"

"Mama?" Piper questioned, at a loss for words. She kept her eyes on the little girl who kept staring at her in wonderment. The Witch was more confused than ever, not quite understanding what was going on. _In what bizarre world have I ended up now? _she thought.

"Piper, is everything okay?" A voice questioned from the dining room.

Piper whipped her head towards the voice to see Phoebe standing by the table with a casserole dish in hand. Her sister looked extremely relaxed; she hadn't seen Phoebe with such a serene demeanor in years. Phoebe straightened up after placing the dish on its desired spot. She re-adjusted the sleeve of her white shoulder peasant blouse which she had pared with black slacks. Her long golden brown tresses hung in a loose braid over her right shoulder. Phoebe smiled at her sister once more, waiting on a reply.

Piper closed her gaping mouth. "I'm not sure yet,"

The young girl ran over to Phoebe and happily embraced her. "Are the cookies done yet, Aunt Phoebe?"

Phoebe smiled lovingly down at her niece, cupping the girl's chin. "I'm not sure, Mellie, we'll check in a second," Phoebe stroked the girl's dark hair. "Why don't you go outside and play and I'll call you when they are ready?"

"Okay!" Melinda replied, running back to Piper and giving her a quick embrace before heading to the backyard.

"Phoebe, what the hell is going on?" Piper questioned with a hint of hysteria in her tone.

Phoebe moved towards her sister and stroked Piper's arm worriedly. "Well, we're having our weekly Saturday barbeque, silly," The middle sister kept her worried gaze. "Piper, is something bothering you?"

"Phoebe, something isn't right here," Piper began, waving her hands. "A demon must have put me here or something because this isn't my life at all,"

"Honey, we've been through this," Phoebe said. "We don't have to worry about demons anymore; they haven't been after us for years."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean years?" Piper questioned. "We just finished out last Ultimate Battle a couple of months ago."

"No, we finished our Ultimate Battle four years ago, remember?" Phoebe reminded. "When we killed the Source, that's when we fulfilled our destiny and that's when we gave up the demon fighting business."

"Phoebe, you aren't listening to me!" Piper stressed, grabbing hold of the side of her red jacket to show her the green gunk she landed in while fighting a demon. "Look at my jacket. Do you see the green slime that..." The Witch trailed off as she realized that the stain was no longer there. "...got on my jacket while fighting a demon?"

"Piper, you are worrying me," Phoebe admitted, leading her sister over to the couch, allowing them both to sit down before she spoke again. "You are the one that wanted a normal life more than any of us, what's changed? Why do you have this sudden urge to re-involve demons in our lives?"

Piper lowered her head and buried her face in her hands. She knew she had fought a demon downtown, so where did the stain on her jacket go? And how did she end up here, in a world where she had the daughter that had been on her mind all morning? Where were her sons? Where were Wyatt and Chris?

Piper raised her head once more, keeping her hands over her mouth before speaking softly. "Phoebe, I swear to you I'm not crazy,"

Phoebe hooked arms with her sister and leaned her head on her shoulder. "Honey, you just need to believe that everything is better now, you got everything you ever wanted without the hassle of being Charmed."

Piper knew that Phoebe wouldn't believe anything she said if it included the word "demons". At that moment, Piper decided that she'd just play along with everything and when she had a moment to slip away, she'd consult the Book of Shadows. She was sure that she'd find out what was going on in due time but for now it was time to put a smile on her face and go with the charade.

"You're right," Piper lied. "Why don't you go check on that barbeque, I just want to get changed?"

Phoebe smiled at her sister, relief finally washing over her. "Yeah, those boys have been cooking long enough out there,"

"The boys?"

"Leo and Miles, silly," Phoebe rose up from the couch and moved to the sunroom to head out to the yard.

Piper sat still for a moment, not being able to comprehend her strange surrounding. She tried to process everything. Leo was outside tending to the barbeque with Miles who had been dead for years in her world and she had a daughter, the daughter she had long been promised but never received. Piper knew something was amiss. She immediately bounded up from the couch and hurried to the stairs, not to head to her bedroom but to the attic to consult the Book of Shadows.

As she climbed the stairs her mind kept on flashing to Melinda, she was as stunning as Piper ever could have imagined. Even though she had her mother's eyes, they housed Leo's kindness. She also had long dark locks that resembled Piper's; she was perfect. But something still confused Piper as she climbed the stairs, inspecting the wall that now had pictures of the family hung against it. There were plenty of her, Leo and Melinda, of Phoebe with Miles and even a few pictures of Prue but Paige was no where to be found. The Witch continued up the stairs hoping to make it to the attic without being discovered.

(-v-)

The doorknob of the attic shook as the sound of the key unlocking the door slightly echoed within the room. Piper pushed open the door with slight difficulty before stumbling into the room. Her eyes widened at the state of the room. The stained glass windows that usually gave way to great rays of light into the attic were closed up with curtains, the furniture was covered with sheets and all their Wiccan tools that usually littered the attic were no longer in their right place. From the dusty state of the attic, Piper came to the conclusion that the room had been closed off for years and was now only used for storage as opposed to it being used for their Witchcraft duties.

She moved closer into the room, inspecting every corner, not believing what her eyes were seeing. Her eyes finally settled on a trunk in the far end of the attic which she recognized as the trunk in which Phoebe had found the Book of Shadows years before. She moved closer to the trunk, lowering herself to the floor, hoping that the Book had been stored back in the trunk once more. Piper smiled as she saw the Book lying at the bottom of the trunk. She reached in and pulled it out and bringing it to her chest, hugging it with great relief, ignoring the dust that littered the cover. She rested the Book on her lap before flipping it open. The burst of happiness she felt upon finding the Book dissolved as she continued to flip through empty pages of the Book.

"What the hell?"

"Mommy?"

Piper instinctively flipped the Book closed and glanced towards the door to find Melinda standing there. "Uhh, hi, uh, honey,"

"Mommy, what are you doing in here?" Melinda asked, moving towards her mother.

Piper quickly placed the Book back in the trunk and closed it before Melinda reached her. "I was just looking for something."

Melinda tilted her head slightly and smiled at her mother. "Aunt Phoebe says the food is ready, are you coming?" The young girl held her hand out to Piper.

Piper found herself smiling and staring at her supposed daughter. For a brief moment, Piper felt herself falling, falling deeper into the illusion of this world. She began to wonder if the last four years of fighting demons was just a dream and that this was the true world, her true world where everything was normal and that magic didn't dictate their lives. She finally reached out and took Melinda's little hand, gasping slightly; she finally realized how real this little person was. She was a part of her and Piper felt it now impossible to let go of her.

"Let's go," Piper said, lifting herself up from the floor with Melinda trying her best to help. Together, mother and daughter left the attic to join the rest of the family downstairs.

(-v-)

As Melinda and Piper playfully jumped from the last step of the staircase, Leo came out from the kitchen and smiled at his laughing girls.

Melinda's little face lit up as she saw her dad. "Daddy!" She ran over to Leo who scooped her up into his arms, hugging her and smiling.

"Hey, my little munchkin, where were you?" Leo asked.

Melinda looked over at Piper before answering. "I went to find Mommy, she was in the attic."

Leo gave Piper a questionable stare as he approached her. "The attic? What were you doing up there?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just looking around." Piper lied.

Leo accepted her answer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss on her lips before whispering. "I hope you aren't missing our magical lives,"

Piper smiled at her husband before answering. "Of course not, why would I want to change this perfect world?"

"Good," Leo smiled, hugging her and Melinda.

Phoebe came into the dining room carrying a salad bowl and smiling at the family moment. "You guys are so cute,"

Piper broke the hug and moved closer to Phoebe to assist her with the table. "So when's Paige coming over?" Phoebe gave a laugh as she tossed the salad while Piper gave her a questionable stare. "What?"

"We haven't seen Paige in four years, remember?" Phoebe said, placing the tossing utensils down and pulling out the chair to sit down.

Piper's expression grew confused. She knew that Paige was the one that was against them giving up their powers years ago but she never thought she'd hardly see her sister if they had actually gone through with it.

"Now, I know I'm not a chef like Piper but I hope these steaks are fine." A voice spoke from behind Piper.

Even though she hadn't heard his voice in three years, she immediately knew who it was. She turned to see Miles approaching the table with a dish filled with meat from the grill.

Phoebe took the napkin from the table and delicately placed it on her lap. "I'm sure they are fine, honey," She rested her elbows on the table, adjusting her wedding band on her finger.

Piper glanced at the ring, coming to the conclusion that Phoebe and Miles were happily married. Even in her world, Phoebe and Miles had a beautiful relationship ever since they met at the Bay Mirror's Annual Charity Fundraiser. Even though Piper considered Phoebe's relationship a bit rushed, she never denied her sister any happiness and she felt slightly satisfied that Phoebe was finally happy after the ordeal with Cole.

_Cole,_ Piper thought. _Was Cole still alive in this world? Could she even attempt to ask Phoebe that question?_

"Hey, missy!"

Piper blinked her eyes and glanced back at Phoebe. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Phoebe questioned. "You've been acting strange all day,"

"I'm just basking in the normal-ness of this all," Piper said.

"Like you haven't been basking in it for the past four years," Phoebe joked.

Leo moved over to the table and placed Melinda down on her chair and sitting down next to her before speaking to Miles. "You need any help?"

"I'm good, thanks, Leo," Miles replied, placing the dish in the center of the table before glancing at Phoebe. "How are you feeling, mama?"

_Mama?!_, Piper thought.

"I think the nausea is hitting the road, I've been feeling fine all day." Phoebe replied, lovingly placing her hand on her stomach.

Piper couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed the slight bump that was visible under Phoebe's shirt. _Phoebe a mother?_ Piper knew that her sister had been desperate for a baby for the last two years and her little sister finally being pregnant brought great joy to Piper.

Melinda lifted herself up onto her knees, resting her arms on the table as she stared at Phoebe's stomach. "Is the baby kicking yet, Aunt Phoebe?"

Phoebe smiled at her inquisitive niece. "Not yet, honey, but I promise you'll be the first to feel the baby kick," Phoebe glanced up at Miles and winked at him.

"Alright, everyone, let's eat before the food gets cold," Leo said as he took a seat beside Piper.

(-v-)

Piper felt as if the whole afternoon went by in slow motion. She just sat there staring at her family, watching them laugh and enjoying each other's company without the fear of demons bursting through the door and appearing in the room, ready to attack them.

This is what Piper had wanted for years; to be able to enjoy the small moments without any concern, to be able to just be a white-picket-fence, golden-retriever-owning family. Instead the Halliwell sisters were given so-called gifts, magical powers that were passed down to them by the first of their magical line, Melinda Warren. Sometimes Piper resented Melinda for bestowing these powers upon them. Piper was an outsider growing up and to be a witch made her feel even more alone in the world. The once middle Halliwell was an honest person and having to walk around with the magical secret was hard for her and it pretty much destroyed her social life as her friends had grown tired of her always taking off without a valid explanation. In the last eight years, Piper's life had revolved around their destiny as Charmed Ones, as the Protector of the Innocent, in between all that she had lost the true meaning of life and family. She was robbed of enjoying a normal life and raising her children as mortals.

(-v-)

After the family had cleared the table, taken care of the dishes and enjoyed some coffee, Phoebe and Miles had returned to their home. Piper was now standing over her daughter's bed, watching her take her late afternoon nap. She lowered her hand to Melinda's forehead and brushed her hair back. This was an unfamiliar feeling to Piper, even though she tucked her sons in the exact same way, it felt surreal to actually tuck her daughter in. Piper studied the room slowly; the room that was usually housed with toys for boys now held the manor dollhouse, plenty of rag dolls and a small table with a painted porcelain tea set.

Piper turned her head over her left shoulder as she felt Leo's arms embrace her from behind. "Isn't she the most beautiful creature you've ever seen?" Leo asked in a whisper.

Piper turned back to the sleeping girl, smiling. "She most certainly is,"

The parents silently turned away from their child and crept out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Are you going to P3 tonight?" Leo questioned as they moved down the corridor.

"P3?"

Leo ceased movement and turned back to Piper. "Your club-slash-restaurant, remember?" Piper gave Leo a surprised look. "Honey, I know you've been asked this a lot today, but are you okay? I mean really?"

Piper blinked her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I'm getting there,"

Leo smiled at her. "Good, I'm going to finish cleaning downstairs,"

Piper watched as Leo moved away from her. She couldn't believe it; she finally had the restaurant she had always dreamt of, even if she had simply converted the club. As Piper basked in her new life, her old life seemed far away; a simple dream of what her life had been. This is what she had wanted and the more she became inured in this world, the more she didn't want to leave.

(-v-)

The former Charmed One sat outside The Corner Café patiently waiting for Phoebe. This was apparently another ritual of theirs; to meet every Sunday at the café to do a little sisterly bonding. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Piper actually wished that Paige was joining them for lunch. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she and Phoebe weren't close to Paige at all.

With some subtle hinting at Leo, Piper was able to clear up some of the confusion she had been carrying around with her. She discovered that even after saving Selena from a Witch-hunter, the sisters did in fact relinquish their powers to the Angel of Destiny and Leo decided to clip his wings once they discovered Piper was pregnant. Not only did they lose their powers but they lost their sister as well. As the years passed, Paige had become a less constant in their lives. Leo explained to her that Paige could never forgive them for giving up their magic, in her mind this bonded them as sisters and without it they had no reason to be together. This left Paige making the decision to move out of the manor and pursue her own life away from her family. Even though this saddened Piper greatly, it paled slightly in compassion to what she got out of her normal life, as thoughtless as it sounded.

"I'm late, I know, I'm sorry," A voice said behind Piper. She turned and saw Phoebe finally reaching the table, slightly out of breath.

"It's fine, I haven't been waiting that long," Piper said. "I got us some iced tea."

Phoebe sighed a breath of relief before sitting down and placing her shopping bag next to her. "Good, because I know you can't be mad about this," The middle Halliwell pulled out a pink baby outfit and held it up for her sister to see. "Isn't this just precious?"

Piper smiled. "So it's a girl?"

"Of course," Phoebe responded, placing the clothing piece back in the bag. "What? Did you expect a boy in this family?"

Phoebe gave a chuckle and Piper soon joined in but stopped as she felt a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_Boys?_

Why did that word have such an impact on her? Piper lifted her glass of ice tea to her lips to take a sip, still trying to decipher her confused thoughts.

"Wyatt!"

Piper nearly chocked on her iced tea before turning around in her chair. Her eyes expanded as she saw a young blonde boy running to a stand still and licking a vanilla ice-cream cone, his face was already smeared with the creamy delight.

A dark haired woman chased after him before grabbing hold of his arm. "You can't just run away from Mommy like that, it's dangerous!" The woman shrieked at her son.

The little boy lowered his head ashamed as Piper kept staring.

_Wyatt?_

That name. So familiar, yet unfamiliar.

"Piper?"

Piper turned back to her sister who had been calling out to her. She gave Phoebe a questionable stare.

"Piper, what's going on with you?" Phoebe questioned, great concern etched on her face. "You have been acting strange these last couple of days and you are worrying me,"

Piper shook her head. "I don't know, I just have these strange moments, a feeling that I've forgotten something," She brought her hand up to her hand before giving a chuckle. "I'm being silly, right? I mean I have the perfect life and the perfect family. I don't have anything to complain about."

"I agree," Phoebe smiled. "We've been blessed, Piper, in greater ways that I could ever have imagined and we shouldn't take a single moment for granted."

"Hear, hear!" Piper lifted her glass and clinked it with Phoebe's.

For the rest of their lunch date, Piper found herself enjoying some quality time with Phoebe and discovering everything about the lives they were now living. Phoebe was still the advice columnist at the Bay Mirror while being a published author to boot. In the midst of their laughter and conversation, Piper's mind occasionally flashed to the young blonde boy. He reminded her of someone, maybe someone from a dream and yet this haunted her. His name felt important to her as well but she shrugged it off, her husband had the same last name after all.

In a moment of silence Piper brought up an unexpected question. "Do you miss it?"

Phoebe shook her head confused. "What?"

"Being the Charmed Ones, the almighty Protectors of the Innocent?" Piper answered.

Phoebe lowered her eyes, after a moment of silence she answered. "Sometimes," Phoebe bit her lip before continuing. "Sometimes I felt like giving up our powers was selfish, but if I hadn't given them up, I wouldn't have my family. I wouldn't have been married and having a family of my own."

"Who says?" Piper blurted, not sure why she spoke those words.

Phoebe pushed the last piece of tomato around her plate with her fork. "Piper, you and Leo had your trials and tribulations because of magic and even though I hoped to have a relationship as great as yours, I didn't want to carry the burden magic would inflict upon it."

"That's fair I guess, but all personal issues aside, could you see us still battling demons and saving the world?" Piper questioned, pushing her empty salad plate aside.

"We fulfilled our destiny when we vanquished The Source; there was nothing left for us after that so why are you suddenly questioning our decision?" Phoebe queried, placing down her fork and pushing her plate aside as well.

Before Piper could answer, a scream emanated from the alley next to the café. Without another thought, Piper jumped from her chair and stormed towards the alley.

"Piper?!" Phoebe shouted. She immediately pulled some money from her purse, slammed it down on the table before grabbing her shopping bag and taking after her sister.

(-v-)

Piper ran into the alleyway, her long ponytail whipping behind her. She halted as she saw a demon holding an innocent girl up against the wall with his grimy claw around the young blonde's neck; his other hand conjuring a flickering violet energy ball.

"Hey!" Piper called out.

The demon snarled as he turned his head towards her, clearly annoyed at her intrusion. The demon hurled the innocent into the corner before turning on Piper and hurling the energy ball towards her. Piper immediately threw herself to the ground but turned her head back to the other side of the alley as she heard Phoebe calling for her. At that moment, the demon was producing another energy ball to launch his attack towards Phoebe. "Phoebe, get down!" Piper screamed as the demon unleashed his killing power ball.

Phoebe, still very much avid at martial arts, dropped her bags immediately and performed a perfect cartwheel before landing on both her feet, missing the energy ball completely. This only infuriated the demon further.

"I'll be back," The demon snarled before being consumed by the ripples of his shimmering ability.

"God, how "Terminator" was that?" Piper said with disgust. She hurried over to the girl and knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?"

The girl's eyes fluttered slightly, she groaned as she brought her hand up to her head. "I'm not sure, what happened?"

"Purse-snatcher," Piper covered. "But don't worry, he's gone now."

"You saved my life, how can I ever repay you?" The girl asked.

Piper thought for a moment. Saving this girl felt familiar, it felt right. She gasped slightly, feeling a rush of memories coming back to her. The pride of saving innocent lives; fighting for the Greater Good, the love she received from her sons...Wyatt and Chris...she remembered them now. An image of her and Paige laughing in the kitchen flooded into her mind, the sister she had grown to love over the years wasn't just a distant memory, she was real.

Piper's lips curved into a slight grin. "I think you just did," She extended her hand towards the girl and helped her up.

"Thank you, again," The girl smiled before making her way out of the alley.

Phoebe moved back towards her bags and snatched them up from the ground before moving towards her sister. "Piper, are you insane? What were you thinking?"

Piper shook her head slowly before speaking. "For once I was thinking about an innocent instead of myself,"

"You could have gotten yourself killed, do you even realize that?" Phoebe asked.

Piper moved closer to Phoebe and took her sister's hands in hers. "Phoebe, you know me better than anyone, right?"

"Right,"

"Now, you know that when I tell you that something is wrong that I'm telling you the truth," Piper continued. "And right now I need you to believe in what I am going to tell you."

"Okay,"

Piper took a breath before she spoke. "The reason I have not been acting like myself lately is because I'm not Piper,"

Phoebe immediately pulled her hands from Piper's grasp. "Are you a demon?"

"No," Piper breathed. "What I meant was, I'm not the Piper from this world, I'm a Piper from another world. A world where we kept our powers and continued with our Charmed destiny, a destiny which we only recently fulfilled _with_ Paige."

Phoebe gave a chuckle. "You're kidding,"

Piper stared at her intensely, hoping that this would signify that she wasn't kidding.

Phoebe's smile slowly disappeared. "You are not kidding?"

"I wish I was but I'm not," Piper replied.

"So, what? Is this a spell gone awry?" Phoebe questioned.

Piper's brow creased. "I'm not sure, I was out taking care of a demon and when I returned home and walked into this world, the perfect world; a world I sometimes long for." Piper kept her eyes on Phoebe. "Do you believe me?"

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but let's get back to the Manor, maybe Leo can shed some light on your situation," Phoebe suggested.

Piper nodded as she and Phoebe made their way out of the alley to her car.

(-v-)

Phoebe moved around the kitchen island carrying two cups of coffee over to the breakfast table where Leo and Piper were sitting. Piper had just finished explaining her situation to a very skeptical Leo. Phoebe handed the beverages to her sister and brother-in-law before sitting down at the head of the table.

Leo placed the cup down before clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. "Are you sure about this?"

Piper nodded. "I'm positive." She leaned forward and placed her hands over Leo's. "Leo, look at me," Leo raised his head to Piper, waiting for her to speak again. "Even if I'm not from this world, I'm still your wife and I need you to believe in me and believe what I'm telling you."

"It just seems so surreal," Leo admitted.

"Like four years of our lives wasn't," Phoebe said, chuckling before taking a sip of her tea.

Leo smiled at Phoebe before looking at back at his wife, seeing the hunger in her eyes, the hunger to be believed in. "So what do we do now? How do we help you get back to your world?"

"I have been thinking about that," Piper said. "Before I ended up in this world, I was fighting a demon, now I didn't know the full extent of his powers but I think he might have stuck me here with some illusion power."

"You mean like the Demon of Illusion?" Phoebe questioned.

"But this one has the ability to create pocket realms out of illusions, desires," Piper added. "He probably had a way to tap into my mind, attack me at my core." Piper thought for a moment; she thought back to the chill she had felt in her car on her way home. She was thinking about the baby book and Melinda and maybe at that moment, the demon took advantage of her secret thoughts, her desires.

"So how do we get you back to your world?" Leo questioned.

Piper raised her one eyebrow and smiled slightly. "With the Power of Three,"

"Sorry to bring up the obvious here, but we don't have the Power of Three anymore," Phoebe said. "Unless you're thinking about..."

"Getting our powers back?" Piper finished. "That would be the prime directive, yeah."

"But you'll need Paige and some outside magical help to do that," Leo pointed out.

Piper nodded, understanding Leo's argument. "I know that and I actually have someone magical in mind to help us out,"

Phoebe shook her head, raising her eyebrows questionably. "Who?"

Piper bit her lip, wondering if she should even say the name of who she had in mind. She took a breath before letting it out. "Cole,"

"Cole?!" Phoebe shrieked as she flew up out of her chair.

"Phoebe, calm down!" Piper pleaded, lifting her hands defensively.

"No, because now I truly believe your not our Piper because she knows how I feel about that demon and she would never ever suggest us working with Cole," Phoebe argued, pointing an angry finger at her sister.

"Phoebe, do you remember who was there during everything with Cole?" Piper asked as Phoebe lowered her finger and looked away. "It was me and no one will ever understand what you two went through better than I do but right now you have to come to the realization that what we did was wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm talking about us giving up our powers," Piper replied. "You know I sometimes wished that we had given up our powers back then but if we had done that I wouldn't have had the life I have now, as un-normal as it is at times."

"Piper," Phoebe began.

"Phoebe, think about it, just because we fulfilled one destiny by vanquishing the Source didn't mean that another destiny wasn't waiting for us," Piper interjected. "We had many more battles to fight after that, many more innocents to save and to know that most of those innocents are dead now and that all of the demons we vanquished are still walking around in the city turns my stomach."

Phoebe lowered her head and folded her arms before sitting down again. Years before she was all about being a witch and saving innocents. There was nothing in the world that gave her more satisfaction than saving someone's life and protecting the world from evil but after her ordeal with Cole, Phoebe just wanted to head for the hills and leave that part of her life far behind her. Her forehead creased for a moment.

"_Was I being selfish? Was it wrong of me to care more about myself than about my destiny?_"

Phoebe now had the perfect life with a loving husband and a daughter on the way. Was she ready to put all of that on the line to help her sister get their powers back?

"I know this is hard for you, Phoebs, you have a great life here, we both do," Piper said, leaning over and taking Phoebe's hand. "You know that having Melinda has always been important to me and to finally have her is a great blessing but I can't just forget my two other children, my boys. Would you be able to go on with your life knowing that you have two children out there who need you?"

"Of course not," Phoebe answered.

"Our entire lives did revolve around us trying to decide whether or not being Charmed for the rest of our lives was worth it," Piper explained. "There's nothing that says we don't have the right to a life but do we have the right to sacrifice our innocents for a normal life?"

Phoebe realized that Piper was right and all her points were valid. Their ancestors managed to juggle their magical duties and have families, so why was it so hard for them to follow suit? Why were they so eager to give up that fight and just succumb to their desires?

"So what do you say?" Piper asked. "Will you help me get our powers back?"

Phoebe inhaled deeply, her shoulders lifting slightly before closing her eyes and giving one single nod.

Piper smiled relieved as she pulled Phoebe up by her hand and embraced her. "Thank you,"

Leo smiled at the moment before speaking. "Well you've succeeded in convincing one sister, will you be able to convince Paige?"

Piper broke the hug and turned back to her husband. "Your Piper might not know Paige well but I sure do, I've known her for five years and I'm sure I'll be able to talk her into it."

"What about our powers?" Phoebe questioned. "How will Cole be able to help us get them back?"

"There is a way to get to the realm and then into the chamber where your powers are kept," Leo declared.

"How?" Piper questioned.

"With the powers he has now, Cole can teleport through realms and as far as I know there is only one charm protecting the chamber," Leo explained. "He will be able to enter the chamber only if he isn't after your powers; it has to be a selfless act. Only someone who has nothing to gain from the powers can enter the chamber. That's why no demon can ever enter it; they'll double-cross each other to get the powers."

"Would you be up to talking to Cole?" Piper asked Phoebe.

"Why me?" Phoebe asked.

"Phoebe, you two have a history and if anything the only desire Cole has at this point is to prove to you that he's good and I personally know that he wants you to be happy so he'll do anything for you." Piper replied.

Phoebe stared at her sister questionably. "How can you be so sure of him?"

Piper smiled, boldly. "Just trust me, I know,"

"Okay, but if I get killed..." Phoebe began.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll haunt my ass, you've said that many times before," Piper finished before pulling Phoebe into a quick hug. "Now go and be safe,"

"Wait, where should we meet up once I get our powers?" Phoebe questioned, stepping back.

"We'll meet back here." Piper said before Phoebe exited the kitchen. Piper turned back to her husband. "Do you know where Paige lives?"

"As far as I know she moved back to her old loft," Leo replied.

"Would you come with me?" Piper asked. "Since you have a way with words I might need some back up,"

Leo smirked. "What happened to all that confidence?"

"I'm good at acting all confident; that's the job of the big sister." Piper replied. "So, will you be my back-up?"

Leo nodded as he rose from his chairs before following after Piper.

(-v-)

The elevator door to Cole's penthouse opened slowly. Phoebe wished she could take that as a sign to hit the button to close the door and forget about setting foot in the place that was once her home but she knew the elevator bell had already alerted her ex-husband to a visitor.

"_Come on, Phoebe, one foot in front of the other._"

Phoebe closed her eyes and stepped forward before opening them again and stepping into the foyer of the penthouse. She searched the room for Cole but she didn't sense anyone near her. She entered the sitting room and sniffed the air. The aroma that filled the air; it was familiar. Even though she hadn't smelled it in years Phoebe knew Cole was cooking his famous Pasta Dish. The aroma of garlic and tomato was strong throughout the home.

"Hello?"

Phoebe turned around as she heard footsteps approaching the living room. Cole entered the room with a white apron over his black shirt which he paired with jeans; the apron was clearly there to avoid any spills from his cooking. Cole stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Phoebe standing in front of him, not sure if he believed what he saw.

"Am I dreaming?" Cole asked.

"No, you're not," Phoebe replied. "How've you been, Cole?" These were the first words she had spoken to Cole in over three years. Even after she gave up her powers, Cole tried to prove himself to her and win back her affections but once she and Miles became serious, Cole came to the realization that he could never give Phoebe the life she so desired and gave up on his quest to win her back and allowed her to be happy.

"Um, I've been good...well in both sense of the word," Cole stuttered, still struggling to believe that Phoebe was in front of him. He glanced down at her growing stomach. "I believe congratulations are in order?" He nodded his head to her stomach.

Phoebe gave a quick glance downwards before placing her hands on her stomach. "Thank you,"

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, moments where awkward glances were shared and even some nervous chuckles.

"Phoebe, what are you doing here?" Cole finally asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"Well, I-uh, I've actually come here to ask for your help," Phoebe finally managed.

"My help?"

Phoebe brought her hand up to her head nervously. "Can we maybe sit down and talk?"

Cole nodded as he and Phoebe moved towards the couch and sat down. Cole clasped his hands together before speaking. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well, you remember when my sisters and I gave up our powers to the Angel of Destiny?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes, that was after I escaped from the Wasteland." Cole replied.

"Well to cut a very, very long story, we need our powers back to send Piper back to her world." Phoebe explained.

Cole's brow furrowed. "To send Piper back to her world?"

"It's really confusing and there isn't much time to explain everything," Phoebe said. "Piper thinks a demon stuck her in this alternate world where we gave up our powers."

"So this Piper is from a world where you kept your powers?" Cole asked, hoping that he got the story straight now.

"Yes,"

Cole nodded his head, thinking for a moment. He wondered if he and Phoebe had been able to find their way back together in this other world. Even though he had let her go in this world, he still loved her and would give anything to be with her again. "Okay, so what do you need me for?"

"I need your help to get to the chamber in which our powers are kept and you're the only one we know that can teleport through realms," Phoebe said.

Cole remained silent, lowering his eyes to the floor. Phoebe kept her eyes on him, waiting for a response to her request.

Phoebe gave a sigh. "Cole, please, I haven't asked you for anything in a long time and I really need your help now."

Cole didn't say a word as he stood up and pulled the apron off and tossing it down on the couch before holding his hand out to Phoebe. She looked at his hand before looking up at him. "Let's go,"

"Really?"

"I'd do anything for you; I thought you'd know that by now." Cole smiled.

Phoebe lifted herself up from the couch and took Cole's hand as they disappeared in a copper hue.

(-v-)

Paige stumbled over a stray red shoe by the foot of her bed as she tried to forge her way to the door as the doorbell rang for a second time. "I'm coming!" She pushed her dark hair back with her fingers, tying it up while rushing to the door. She gave a slight shriek as a large rodent scurried across the room. "Damn rat! If I could orb you I would." She finally reached the door and pulled it open, her eyes widening as she saw who her visitors were.

"Hello, Paige," Piper said with a slight smile, feeling a bit relieved to finally see her other sister.

Paige raised her index finger wanting a moment. "I'm just going to close the door again to make sure that my eyes aren't playing tricks on me."

Paige attempted to close the door as Piper pushed the door back. "Can we come in, please?"

Paige held onto the door for a moment, biting her lower lip before making a sweeping motion with her arm indicating to Piper and Leo that they can come in. Piper and Leo quickly stepped into the loft while Paige pushed her bangs from her eyes and closed the door. She hurried over to the couch by the large window and began collecting items of clothing from it. "I'm sorry; I wasn't exactly expecting company today,"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said as she and Leo made themselves comfortable on the now clean couch.

Paige hurried to her bed and tossed the bundled up clothes onto it before returning to her guests and sitting down on the armchair across from them. "Not to be difficult or anything but what are you two doing here? I haven't seen you in years so it's very odd when you just show up at my front door."

"It's a fair question and we have a good reason for being here," Piper said. "Paige, Phoebe and I need your help to get powers back,"

"Excuse me?" Paige responded, sharply, rising up from the chair and pacing in front of her sister and brother-in-law. "You are the ones that gave up our powers, our lives together and now you need my help to get them back?"

"Paige, it's not what you think," Leo stated, hoping to calm her down slightly.

Paige sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest waiting patiently for her estranged family to explain to her what was going on. "Then please enlighten me,"

Piper couldn't help but stare at her sister. This girl was so different from the Paige she knew, even though she was still witty, Paige's attitude towards her was cold, resentful. Piper really hoped that she'd be able to connect with Paige and convince her to help get their powers back.

"Paige, the Piper you see before you is not from this world," Piper began, hoping that her sister won't find her statements ridiculous. "I'm from a world where we never gave up our powers, where we not only stayed together as the Charmed Ones, but as sisters."

Paige's resentment seemed to fade slightly as she registered Piper's words. "That sounds like a pretty peachy world,"

"It's a world I'd like to get back to but in order to do that, I need your help," Piper said. "We can't do it without you,"

"Since you aren't our Piper, you don't know how much it hurt me when you and Phoebe decided to give up on our magic," Paige began. "To give up on me,"

"I can only imagine what you felt," Piper interjected. "But not having you in my life in these past couple of days, I can pretty much imagine _how_ you felt."

Paige lowered her head as tears began to form in her eyes. This Piper seemed so sincere and it touched and affected Paige unbelievably.

"Paige, you must know that I would never not want you in my life and this is pretty much the reason why I've come to you now," Piper explained. "This is why I want to get back to my real life, a life where you are a constant presence."

Paige swiftly brushed away a falling teardrop as she stood up. "Just...let me get dressed," She hurried towards the bathroom, grabbing some clothes on her way there.

Piper let out a breath of relief as she sat back. Leo turned his head to her and smiled. "Guess you didn't need me much after all,"

"I guess not," Piper said.

"So...we have sons?" Leo asked.

Piper sat up again. "Yes, Wyatt and Chris."

Leo nodded. "We never had Melinda?"

"No, we didn't and she's the one thing I wish I could take back with me," Piper said, her eyes tearing up. "She has been on my mind so much these last couple of days and finally having her...it's going to be so hard to let her go."

"Maybe you'll still have her one day," Leo comforted.

Piper smiled at him, trying to prevent the tears from falling from her eyes. She and her Leo hadn't talked about having more children, they were pretty much content with their two sons and now Piper wondered if Leo would consider having a third child, but would it be Melinda? How could they be sure that they'd be blessed with a daughter? Piper shook her head slightly, knowing that she should focus on the matter at hand and that was for her and Paige to meet up with Phoebe and to reclaim their powers.

(-v-)

In a wisp of copper light Cole and Phoebe appeared in a world far from what they knew. The realm was calm and soothing; clouds swirled around them as they walked down the path that would ultimately lead to the chamber door. Phoebe stared down at the path that was nearly invisible, she literally felt as if she was walking on air.

Both of them walked in complete silence before Phoebe finally spoke up. "Thank you for doing this, Cole."

"Don't worry about it." Cole said. "How much do you know about this other world?"

Phoebe knew why Cole was asking her that question. Even though he had let her go years before, his heart clearly never followed suit and he was wondering if they managed to find their way back to one another in this other world. "I honestly don't know much, Piper didn't fill me in on all the details."

Phoebe was relieved when they finally reached the chamber door, knowing that Cole wouldn't bring up any more of his curious questions. The door was quite magnificent. It seemed to be of pure gold with the most beautiful engravings. Phoebe lifted her head to the heavens above her as the door continued up; one could never know how far up it went as their vision became impaired by the growing mist above.

Cole walked up to the door, inspecting it, in search of a handle. "Now how does this work exactly?"

"Leo mentioned something about only one who has nothing to gain from the powers within can enter the chamber," Phoebe explained.

"But how do I get in? There's no handle," Cole responded. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Phoebe asked.

Cole moved closer and stuck out his hand, bringing it closer to the door until it went right through it. Phoebe gasped, slightly shocked that her ex-husband was able to enter the chamber. She had to admit, she had her doubts about why Cole had so quickly agreed to help her but his ability to penetrate the chamber proved his intentions were only good, just like Piper had said. Cole continued forward, his body disappearing into the chamber with every step.

Phoebe waited patiently for a few minutes until Cole reappeared through the door, carrying a small golden box in his hands. He came down the few steps that led up to the door and stood in front of Phoebe before handing it to her. She gingerly took it from his hands, her one hand brushing his for a brief moment. Both of them looked up into each other's eyes, gazing for a moment until Phoebe lowered her eyes to the box.

Phoebe took a step back, clutching the box before speaking. "We better get back, Piper's waiting for me."

Cole nodded before reaching out to her for her hand. Phoebe slowly reached for his hand and once their hands were clasped together, Cole teleported them away.

(-v-)

The front door of the manor opened as Piper and Leo along with Paige entered the house. Paige took a moment to contemplate the place she once called home. It was bizarre to be back there since she hadn't set foot there in years. She couldn't help but give a slight smirk; Piper was a stickler for tradition so the manor had hardly changed in all these years. There were a few new paintings and photos hung against the walls but everything was pretty much the same as the day she moved out.

She remembered that day well. It had been a month since they relinquished their powers to the Angel of Destiny. Paige had grown distant from her sisters, still believing that giving up their powers was wrong and that they had not only given up on their destiny but they had given up on her as a sister as well. It seemed as if they had only needed her to vanquish the Source, to avenge Prue's death, and now they no longer needed her. Though they had protested against it, Piper and Phoebe still couldn't convince Paige otherwise. The animosity between the sisters finally resulted in Paige moving back to her old loft apartment and an estrangement resulted from it.

Piper, Paige and Leo gathered by the table near the staircase; not one of them uttering a word.

Piper smiled at her sister. "Thanks for agreeing to this, Paige,"

With a bounce of her right shoulder, Paige replied. "Well, you made a pretty compelling argument,"

The group's attention was drawn to the door as Phoebe stepped into the manor with the golden box in hand. She closed the door while staring at her sisters. Her mouth at a slight gape, she moved towards them, still holding the box tightly in her hands. Even though she knew that she'd be seeing Paige when she returned to the manor, she didn't think she'd be so surprised to see her younger sister. She looked much different now. Her once dark hair was lighter now and it cascaded over her shoulders. She seemed more grown up now than what she did all those years ago.

"Did you get it?" Piper questioned.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied, handing the box to Piper.

Piper gently took the box from her sister and hugged it relieved. Piper felt as if there was now a light at the end of the tunnel for her, a way for her to finally get home.

"I'm going to check up on Melinda," Leo said as he moved towards the stairs before climbing them.

Phoebe shuffled her feet slightly before looking at Paige. "It's good to see you, Paige."

Paige forced a smile. "Yeah, good to see you, too."

The tension was thick between the sisters; animosity filled the air. Phoebe and Paige didn't part on good terms. Whereas Paige and Piper simply said their goodbyes, Paige felt more betrayed by Phoebe which led to a great disagreement before Paige finally left. Seeing each other now brought that argument to both of their minds.

"Are you two okay?" Piper questioned, eyeing both of her sisters worriedly.

"Piper, could you maybe give Paige and me a moment?" Phoebe asked.

Piper nodded. "Sure, I'll just go upstairs." She kept the box in her hands as she continued to the stairs, leaving her sisters alone.

Once Piper was out of sight, Phoebe turned back to Paige. "Paige, I just wanted to say how sorry I am."

Paige lowered her eyes to the floor while crossing her arms. "I know you are, but I'd like you to know that I never clung to the anger I felt towards you and Piper. The hurt never went away but the anger faded over time."

"I'm glad," Phoebe admitted. "You know, if I could go back I would do things so differently."

Paige nodded and her mouth curved into a slight smile. "Well, you can't change the past but we can help change the present for Piper."

"Yeah, for Piper and maybe for us as well," Phoebe agreed, softly.

Paige smiled before crossing her arms over her chest.

(-v-)

Piper continued down the hallway towards the bedrooms as she heard giggling. She approached Melinda's room, smiling as she leaned against the doorpost and crossing her arms. Leo was sitting on Melinda's bed watching his daughter playing tea-cups with her china dolls. Melinda tipped the pink flowered teapot and poured imaginary tea into the tiny white porcelain cups.

Leo turned his head towards the door to see Piper standing there, a sudden sadness washing over her face. He rose up from the bed and moved towards Piper placing a comforting hand on her arm. "You don't have to feel guilty,"

Piper stared at him confused. "Guilty?"

"I know what you're thinking," Leo said. "You feel like your abandoning her and you're not."

"Well, a part of me feels like I am, makes me feel like I'm choosing between my children," Piper admitted. "But I don't belong in this world; I'm not the mother she knows."

"No matter what world you are from, you _are_ Piper and in the end you'll make the right decision, no matter how hard it is." Leo comforted.

"Yeah, and I have to make the decision of not being selfish anymore," Piper said.

"Selfish?"

Piper gave a faint chuckle. "Trust me, it's a long story and coming to this world has just shown me how off track my life has gotten. That's another reason why I need to go back."

Piper and Leo both drew their attention to Melinda as she bounded up from her chair and rushed to her mother. "Mommy, is something wrong?"

Leo stood back from them as Piper lowered herself to Melinda's size. "Actually, honey, yeah there is. Mommy has to go somewhere with Auntie Phoebe and Paige and I just wanted to say how much I love you and how much I'm going to miss you." She tried her very best not to cry in front of Melinda but the task proved quite difficult.

Melinda's bottom lip began to quiver as she spoke. "But I don't want you to go,"

Piper took Melinda by her arms. "I don't want to go either, but I have to. There are things I have to do." Piper pulled the young girl into her embrace, holding her close, trying to hold onto a little part of her. "Okay," She pulled back from Melinda and rise back up hurrying from the room.

As Piper was about to exit the room, Melinda spoke up. "I love you, Mommy."

Piper halted by the door, grabbing the doorframe while still standing with her back towards Leo and Melinda. She lifted her left hand to her face, wiping away the tears before turning her head over her right shoulder and smiling at the little girl. "I love you, too."

Piper hurried away from the room before her desire took over, the desire to just stay in that room with her daughter. She knew she had another life and loved ones that needed her. She had to get home, she just had to.

(-v-)

Piper brought her Jeep to a halt on the outskirts of a lush forest. Trees banded closely together, practically darkening the area as the sun began to descend from the sky. Piper switched off the car before climbing out along with Phoebe and Paige. Phoebe carried the power box in her hands while Paige clung to the blank Book of Shadows. The two younger Halliwells took in their surroundings, still confused on why Piper had brought them to the forest. Without a word, Piper led the way as her sisters began to trail after her.

Phoebe tried to stay close to Piper and questioned. "Piper, why are we here?"

Piper stopped immediately and turned to her sisters. "You really don't remember, do you?"

Phoebe thought for a moment, trying to remember. The forest did look familiar, but why? Her eyes lit up as she finally understood. "Oh, the altar!"

"Yeah, the altar," Piper confirmed. "It's the one place where we once connected with our powers and where we connected as the Power of One to call upon the Book of Shadows from Abraxas and I'm hoping that if we attempt the same theory again then we'll be able to unlock the box and our powers and then we'll be able to go after that demon."

Paige shifted the Book to her other arm, the weight of the Book proving to be more than one arm can handle. She remembered her lesson on Abraxas and how her sisters recited the incantation that gave them their powers to recover the Book of Shadows from the horned demon. "That's a good theory but what if it doesn't work?"

"Well, then I'm open to suggestions," Piper said as she took off again.

Phoebe smirked at Paige before the continued to follow their oldest sister, deeper and deeper into the forest.

(-v-)

As the sun began to lower over the forest, the sisters finally reached the altar. Paige moved towards it first, placing the Book of Shadows on the stone column, followed by Phoebe, who placed the box on top of the Book. Lastly, Piper stepped forward, standing close to the podium and holding out both of her hands to each of her sisters.

Phoebe stepped closer, taking Piper's right hand and the holding out her other hand to Paige. Paige gave a quick glance at both her sisters' awaiting hands. Piper kept her eyes on her sister, hoping that Paige wasn't getting cold feet but to her relief, Paige moved forward clasping hands with both her sisters.

Piper took a breath before starting the chant. "Hear now the words of the Witches..."

"The secrets we hid in the night..." Phoebe continued, drawing strength from her sisters.

Paige closed her eyes, feeling a slight rush of magic as she continued with the spell. "The oldest of gods are invoked here...."

Together, as one, the sisters completed the rest of the spell.

"_The great work of magic is sought._

_In this night and in this hour,_

_We call upon the ancient power._

_Bring your powers to we sisters three,_

_We want the power, give us the power._"

The Halliwells observed the box as a golden luminescent light began to emanate from it. The box began to rise up into the air, hovering a few inches above their heads, displaying great power. A large ball of the energy shot down into Piper, bathing her in the great light until it slivered down her arm towards Phoebe and then finally to Paige.

Piper began chanting the last couple of verses of the incantation again as Phoebe and Paige joined in.

"_In this night and in this hour,_

_We call upon the ancient power._"

A slight breeze came up, whipping their hair around. The electric energy continued to circle the sisters as a triquetra began to form around them. They kept chanting louder and louder over the now howling wind.

"_Bring your powers to we sisters three,_

_We want the power, give us the power._"

The box finally flew open, releasing four sparkling balls of white energy. The box fell to the ground while the powers remained in the air. It swirled above them as the sisters looked up, feeling the power, their powers; finally recognizing who they truly are. The power balls plummeted into each of the sisters, restoring their power. The last ball was consumed by the Book of Shadows which flipped open; its blank pages turning wildly in the wind. Within seconds the magical pages were restored to their former glory. The Triquetra's luminosity burned brighter around the sisters until it finally disappeared along with the sun which set behind the trees bathing the sisters in darkness.

The Charmed Ones each took a slight breath and closed their eyes as they let go of each others' hands.

"The Power of Three," Piper breathed.

Paige smiled, proudly. "It's good to feel my powers again,"

Piper smiled as well, holding her hand out to Paige. "Well, how about you show off that orbing power and orb us to the attic, we have some vanquishing to do."

"What about your car?" Phoebe questioned, sliding the Book of Shadows off of the slab and balancing it on her hip.

"We'll come back for it later; we've got more important things to do right now." Piper said before snapping her fingers playfully at Paige. "Come on, chop-chop!"

Paige rolled her eyes playfully, taking Piper's hand and then taking Phoebe's awaiting hand before calling upon her orbing power, something she hadn't done in years. The Witch concentrated, hoping that she'd be able to connect with her power again. A slight warmth, a tiny tingle rose within her as orbs began to swirl around her, collecting her and both her sisters in glistening lights. In a cloud of orbs, the sisters were transported away.

(-v-)

In the center of the once quite and dark attic, glistening orbs swirled down from the ceiling, teleporting the sisters into the room.

"Nice job on the orbing, Paige," Piper complimented as she maneuvered her way to the door to switch on the attic light.

"What?" Paige said, as they were finally bathed in light. "Did you think I'd orb you flat on your butt?"

"Well you haven't orbed in years," Phoebe added.

With a fun bounce of her shoulders, Paige replied. "It's kind of like riding a bike; you never forget how to do it."

"Good analogy," Phoebe complimented, finally sharing a smile with her sister.

Piper moved back towards her sisters taking the Book from Phoebe's grasp and taking it back to its podium, its rightful place. With a swipe of her hand over the podium to minimize some of the dust, Piper placed the Book down and adjusted it. Phoebe and Paige gathered around the podium as Piper opened the green leather cover and began to flip through the pages.

Paige dug her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and slightly rocked back & forth before asking. "So, who are we exactly looking for?"

"Well, this demon doesn't have a name and there wasn't much info on him last time I checked so I'm hoping that there might be some additional information on him," Piper replied, her eyes still carefully studying each page as she turned them.

Phoebe moved over to the covered couch and removed the dusty sheet before sitting down. "So how did you find him in the first place?"

"The Book flipped open to the page." Piper gave an occasional glace in Phoebe's direction while flipping through the Book. "Are you doing okay over there, Phoebs?"

Phoebe leaned back, placing her hands on her expanding stomach. "Just feeling a little queasy but I'm okay."

Piper gave an understanding nod. During her pregnancy with Chris, she had random bouts of morning sickness and queasiness, even in her second trimester. "It'll pass, I promise."

"Wait a second," Paige announced, turning her head to Phoebe. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yeah, what did you think when you saw my belly?" Phoebe questioned.

"I thought you maybe gained some weight," Paige teased.

Phoebe gave her sister a crooked smile as she lifted herself up from the couch to see what her sisters had come up with. "Anything yet?"

Piper shook her head as her forehead creased. "It's not on the same page where I last saw it," Piper moved away from the podium towards the potion ingredient cabinet. "I'm going to start on a Power of Three potion since I have a little more experience with the potion making, would you two try to find the demon?"

Phoebe moved in behind the podium with Paige right by her side. "What does he look like?"

"Bald, pale yellow eyes with orange markings on his face," Piper informed opening the cabinet and sorting through the glass bottles, trying to find some useful ingredients.

"Sounds like a pretty unique demon," Paige commented.

"Yeah, I think I might have underestimated how powerful he actually is and that's why I think after the vanquish, he must have reconstituted." Piper shared, collecting a couple of bottles in her arms and moving them over to the potions table. She moved back to the cabinet to retrieve the bronze chalice, the baster, a wooden spoon and a couple of potion vials. She carried all of it to the table and began preparing the potion.

Phoebe and Paige continued to search the Book when Phoebe instructed Paige to continue the search as she moved off to the potions table. "If this demon is as powerful as you think he is don't you think that it would be a safer bet to use both a Power of Three spell and potion?"

"That might be a safe bet, yeah," Piper confirmed, tipping one of the glass jars over and pouring some of the dried ingredients into her other hand. She turned her hand over the chalice and allowed the herb to fall into the chalice. She dusted her hands together to get rid of the stray ingredients before speaking to Phoebe, "Would you start on the spell?"

Phoebe nodded before replying, "Just remember, I'm a little rusty on the spell writing so it might sound like Paige's haiku."

Paige lifted her eyes to her sister with slight annoyance. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"I'm just teasing, Paige, think of it as payback for the weight comment," Phoebe said. She moved over to an old oak desk and pulled open the top drawer. She pulled out an aged notebook and an old pen that lay in the far end of the drawer before closing it. Now with pen and paper in hand, Phoebe moved over to the couch she sat on earlier to make an attempt at a Power of Three spell.

The sisters continued with their respective tasks in complete silence until Paige announced that she had found something. Piper placed the wooden spoon she had been using to stir the potion down next to the chalice before moving off to see what Paige had found in the Book.

Piper peered upon the page before commenting. "Yep, that's the demon." The page contained a portrait of the demon, wearing a sinister grin on his artistically decorated face.

Paige placed her hands on the podium before reading the entry on the demon aloud. "_This demon might not hold a name but holds a reputation that makes him infamous in demonic circles, following in the demonic leagues of Jeric, the demon with the ability to mummify others and Shax, the Source's right-hand assassin._"

At the mention of Shax's name, the room fell silent. For a brief moment the sisters thought of Prue, having not heard the demon that took her life's name in years.

Piper continued to read from the Book, hoping to push the sad memories of her deceased sister aside. "_Though his powers resemble those of the Demon of Illusion and the pocket realm creator, Gith, he is more skilled with his gifts which elevate him to Upper-level status._"

"Upper-level?" Phoebe questioned. "That means we'll need his flesh or blood for the potion."

Piper nodded her head in agreement. "This entry is a little more updated than the one I read." She made her way out from behind the podium and moved back towards the potions table. "Okay, I'll finish the potions and then we'll have to find a way to get his blood or flesh and while one of us entertains him, we'll add the ingredient to it and he'll be history."

Phoebe gave Piper a worried look before voicing her concerns. "I don't know, it sounds a little easier said than done."

"I'm sure we can pull it off," Piper stated. "We're not called the Charmed Ones for nothing."

"Very true. I'm sure compared to the Source he'll be a piece of cake." Paige said, with a simple wave of the hand.

"Okay, my very optimistic sisters," Phoebe began, rising up from the couch and tearing the off the piece of paper from the notebook. "The Power of Three spell is done; I hope it will do the job."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Piper said.

Paige crossed her arms over her chest before asking a burning question. "You know, to vanquish this demon we actually have to find him. Any idea how we're going to manage that?"

"The last time I tried to track him he kept going into hiding but with a tracking Power of Three spell we used in my world not too long ago, we might be able to find him or better yet, bring him to us." Piper informed.

Phoebe agreed, "I think it's better to fight on our turf, considering we're more powerful here with the Nexus and all."

Piper opened her mouth to comment about the Nexus but decided that it wasn't important at that moment. She had forgotten that the Nexus was still very much intact in this world. "Alright, the potion is done," She turned her head towards Paige. "Would you bottle it while I get the athame we're going to need?"

"Sure," Paige replied, walking over to the table, picking up the baster to fill up the three vials Piper had lined up. Phoebe joined her at the table to lend a hand.

Piper moved back over to the cabinet, opening it and pulling out a bronze box which held all their athames. She removed a bronze handled double edged steel knife before closing the box and returning it to its spot. She put the athame in the slit of her boot and moved over to the table where Paige was bottling the last vial while Phoebe placed the corks next to each of them. The potions were now ready and waiting for the last ingredient, the demon's blood.

"Are you two ready to kick some demon ass?" Piper asked.

Phoebe smiled, "It's been a while, but I'm sure it's still in me."

"Ditto," Paige agreed.

Piper leaned over the table and grabbed the Power of Three spell and stuck it in her pocket to keep it safe. She held her hands out to her sisters, waiting for them to join hands with her before chanting the tracking spell. "Before I do the spell, I just want to say thank you...thank you for everything you guys have done to get me back home."

"Well, this little event has brought us back together again, so no thank you's are needed." Phoebe stated.

"I'm with Phoebe on this one, there is always a reason for everything and I think it applies to you being here as well," Paige agreed.

Piper smiled lovingly at her sisters, appreciating them now more than ever. She clasped her hands tighter around both of her sisters' hands as she began her chant.

"_Ancient powers, we summon thee,_

_We, the power of three,_

_Seek your help in finding_

_The demon who is in hiding_

_Be he far or be he near,_

_Bring us this evil entity here._"

A wisp of wind blew through the attic as the Charmed Ones felt their combined magic working. Strands of orange light that resembled strings of Christmas tinsel began to twirl in the center of the attic, growing bigger and bigger in size until it formed a silhouette within the glowing particles.

Paige and Phoebe came around the table to stand next to Piper when the eldest sister threw out her hand, pushing Phoebe back. "Phoebe, stay by the potions so that you can add the blood."

"But Piper..." Phoebe protested.

"I'm not risking you or my niece," Piper countered.

Phoebe gave a simple nod before backing away from her sisters as the lights around The Demon began to dissipate; the obviously angry being finally being revealed.

Piper gave a sly grin before coyly asking The Demon, "Hey there, remember me?"

The Demon snarled angrily, "Unfortunately," He pulled his hand back while giving an angry roar before sending off an orange metallic sphere at Piper and Paige.

Piper lifted her hands, channeling her freezing ability and bringing the deadly sphere to a screeching halt. Paige stepped forward, lifting her hand and calling upon the frozen sphere that disappeared in glistening orbs. It reappeared in her awaiting palm while Piper bowed down, removing the athame from her boot. Paige retracted her arm and with a grunt sent off the deadly blast back upon its sender.

The sphere slowly phased into The Demon's chest as he screamed at the pain his power was inflicting upon his body. Piper took advantage of the distraction and ran towards The Demon; falling to her knees and skidding across the floor until she reached The Demon. Gritting her teeth, she drew back the athame and rammed the glistening blade into his abdomen. The Demon glared down at Piper waving his hand in an arch movement over her, causing an orange electric sphere to swallow her up. The Demon lifted his hand and telekinetically lifted Piper up within the sphere as well.

"Piper!" Paige called out.

"Get the athame, get the blood!" Piper managed to instruct through the pain of the electric currents that ran through her body.

Paige stuck out her hand once again and called out, "Athame!" The athame that was lodged in The Demon's stomach was collected by dancing blue orbs and teleported into Paige's hand. She immediately handed it off to Phoebe, carefully trying not to spoil the dripping blood. "Add the blood to the potion; I'm going to help Piper."

Phoebe did as she was instructed as Paige stormed forward calling upon an empty bookcase and orbing it towards The Demon who was so fixated on Piper that he didn't notice her oncoming attack. His electric hold on Piper began to waver as the bookcase collided into his body, causing him to crumble to the floor. As the sphere around her disappeared, Piper plummeted to the wooden floor.

Paige rushed over to her groaning sister and helped her up. "Come on, Piper." She draped Piper's arm over her shoulders and hurried back to Phoebe who was holding the finished neon amber potions in her hands. As her sisters finally reached her, Phoebe gave Paige her vial but kept Piper's in her grasp.

The Demon remained in a crouched down position on the floor, glaring at the sisters as his glossy pale yellow eyes began to burn brighter as they twirled around like a hypnotic waves, producing a sphere around the witches that was similar to the one that Piper was trapped in but it only seemed to trap them.

Phoebe and Paige both clung to Piper's arms to keep her upright, when she lightly shook them off and moved forward, extending her hands and with a great deal of force unleashed her exploding ability upon the sphere. Piper could feel that her powers weren't as advanced as she was used to but still she tried her very best to put as much of her remaining strength into every blast she unleashed upon the sphere.

Phoebe moved forward, grabbing Piper's arm. "Piper, it's no use, we're trapped."

The Demon pressed two fingers to his stomach wound as he rose up from the floor. Bringing up his other hand and forming a fist. Sparks began to surround his clenched fist and as he threw open his fist, he sent raging sparks around the sphere that caused it to whirl wildly.

Piper narrowed her eyes at The Demon, refusing to give up the fight and to just succumb to his power. She was determined to destroy him; she needed to get back to her family. She needed to get home for them and for herself. "The Power of Three,"

"What?" Paige whispered.

"Will set us free," Phoebe finished, lowering her hand from Piper's arm down to her hand.

Paige lowered her hand next to Piper's and took hold as the sisters began their joint chant, one of their most powerful spells.

"_The Power of Three will set us free,_

_The Power of Three will set us free,_

_The Power of Three will set us free,_

_The Power of Three will set us free._"

The Demon's mouth fell into a gape as his neon eyes widened. His magical sphere seemed to be losing power and the twirling tornado was losing momentum as the sisters continued their chant. "No!" He bellowed. "No!"

The orange tornado began to increase in speed again but this time it was in the Charmed Ones' control. As their chant became stronger, their power increased as the tornado burst open. The power lifted The Demon off his feet and smacked him into the wooden wall, causing it to crack upon impact. He fell to the floor groaning heavily as he turned onto his back.

The sisters let go of each other's hands as Phoebe handed Piper her potion. Piper dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out the spell. "Now!"

Upon Piper's orders the sister released their potions upon the demon. As the vials shattered against his chest, the neon liquid began to spread over the demon. Piper unfolded the spell and held it up for her sisters to see.

"_Hear our words, hear our plea,_

_Drawing on the Power of Three,_

_Take this demon, banish him from sight,_

_Remove him from the living light._"

The potion began to glow brightly as it continued to consume the demon. His screams became muffled as he was completely enclosed in the cocoon. Sparks began circling the demon until an orange explosion erupted through the attic, its energy wave knocking the sisters down.

As Piper fell to the floor, she realized that she didn't land on the wooden floor of the attic but on the Persian rug by the Manor's front door. She looked around slightly bewildered and finally glanced down at her clothes; she was wearing the same clothes she had worn the day she had stepped into her alternate world but the green mucky stain was now clearly visible on her jacket once more.

"Piper?"

Piper glanced up at the sound of her name, her mouth at a slight gape. Her eyes met those of her concerned husband's who was standing in the dining room.

Leo moved across the room towards his wife, concern etched on his features. "Honey? What are you doing on the floor?"

Piper lowered her eyes to the floor, pursed her lips together and shook her head slowly as she began to sob, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Leo hurried to her side, falling to the floor and pulling her into his embrace. Once she was in Leo's arms, the tears fell down her cheeks and her sobbing became louder. Leo worriedly stroked her hair; not knowing what had drove his wife to tears. Piper moved closer to her husband, even though she knew that his comfort won't change everything she saw and everything she went through...

(-v-)

**That's it. I hope you guys liked the latest chapter, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you thought. The chapter after this one is a short one just so that we can tie up some of the loose ends that formed in this chapter. I have a few extra things to add to chapter 7 but it's mostly finished. Chapter 8 is coming along well, so if things continue this way, hopefully there won't be too many delays. I would also like to extend a thank you to Adam (Phoenixed) for helping me come up with the basis for this chapter when I was at a loss at how to approach it. **


	7. The Pursuit of Inner Truth

**A/N: First off, welcome to Matriarch's One Year Anniversary and its anniversary chapter. I know that not many chapters have been released since it's premiere but I hope that each of the chapters have meant a great deal to each of you like it has to me. This is a short chapter but a very much needed one after the events of chapter 6. Enjoy the latest chapter. **

**Chapter 7 – The Pursuit of Inner Truth**

**Teaserline: Will she rediscover who she truly is?**

(-v-)

_**September 19, 2006**_

The Manor was bathed in great sunlight despite the somber atmosphere that loomed through out the home as the doorbell of the Manor rung for the second time. Leo made his way out of the kitchen with Little Chris firmly planted on his hip as he hurried to the front door. As he opened the door he was greeted by Charlie's sympathetic face.

Charlie stepped into the manor, closing the door behind her and taking off her long black coat.

"Aunty Charlie!" Chris squealed, happily as he leaned towards her, arms outstretched.

Charlie placed her coat and purse on the table by the door before taking Chris from Leo's arms. "Hey, big boy."

Charlie was pleased that Chris had finally warmed up to her. She and Piper were out shopping when Chris was dazzled by a fluffy golden teddy bear with a red tie around his neck. She then graciously bought the bear for Chris.

The young witch gave Chris' stomach a quick tickle before meeting Leo's tired green eyes. "How's she doing?"

Leo shook his head despondently, "No change," Leo and Charlie moved down the foyer as he continued. "After she told me what happened in that other world, she closed up and every time I try to talk to her about it she closes up even more."

With great sympathy, Charlie replied, "Well from what you told me it took great selflessness for her to come back to reality. That world was everything Piper has always wanted but it didn't have some of the things she truly loves, like her boys."

Leo sat down on the couch, bringing his hands together and raising them to his mouth. "Yeah, and now I think she resents the boys."

Charlie sat down in the armchair, across from the mortal when Chris squirmed to be let go of. He disappeared into the sunroom as Charlie questioned, "What do you mean by that?"

"She won't talk to them," Leo replied. "They're confused; they don't understand why their mother doesn't want anything to do with them."

"Leo, to be honest, I don't think she resents them," Charlie expressed. "Maybe she feels more guilt than resentment."

"Guilt?"

"From what you've told me, Piper always longed to have a daughter," Charlie began. "So maybe she feels guilty for longing for that daughter instead of being grateful for her two sons."

Leo slowly nodded his head, pondering the possibility of Charlie's theory. "It's possible."

"And I know that I don't know Piper as well as you do but if I had to put myself in her shoes, I'd be feeling a bit confused as well." Charlie said.

Leo groaned heavily before speaking, "I'm just at my wits' end; I don't know how to help her."

"I think that's something she needs to figure out on her own, you know, it's a process to work though something like that." Charlie comforted. She could see that Leo desperately needed advice on how to help his wife but she knew she couldn't offer anything but support. "Listen, why don't you go check up on her and I'll take care of the boys."

"Wyatt's finishing up his breakfast in the kitchen." Leo informed, rising up from the couch and moving towards the stairs but stopped at the foot of it, turning back to Charlie. "Thank you, Charlie, really."

Charlie nodded her head once with a blink of her eyes. "That's what family is for."

Leo gave her a grateful smile before moving up the stairs as Charlie rose from the chair, moving towards the sunroom to collect Chris. Charlie wished that she could do more than just take care of the kids but she knew Leo appreciated the help. She fairly understood the loss Piper felt after leaving that world, though they had not suffered the same loss; the feeling was practically the same. The feeling of emptiness; like there's no rhyme or reason for being. Charlie suffered greatly after the death of her parents and that pain has never really faded over the years but she hoped that Piper wouldn't have to live with her loss for that long.

(-v-)

The master bedroom of the Manor was deathly silent as Piper sat on the couch by the stained glass bay window, a burgundy blanket draped around her shoulders. Her expression was blank as she stared out the window, her mind kept on recalling her last moments with Melinda. She remembered the little girl telling her she loved her. Having to leave Melinda and that perfect life behind was hard on her, but Piper also realized how off track her life had gotten over the last couple of years. She knew she'd be able to put everything she knew in that life behind her in time but it was the realization of what she had become over the years that was affecting her greatly.

Even though that world was everything she wanted, she didn't like the person she had become there. Piper and her sisters had made a joint decision years before to continue with their Charmed destiny when the Angel of Destiny offered them the chance to relinquish their magic. It just felt like the right thing to do and they knew back then that they couldn't change who they were and that a new destiny would find them eventually.

Saving that innocent girl back in the alternate world reawakened something within Piper, something she hadn't felt in years. It was the pride of saving an innocent, something she and her sisters lost sight of in recent years. For the last three years their magical destinies consisted of protecting Wyatt and vanquishing Gideon. After the whole debacle with the Elders and with Leo losing his way after killing Gideon, the sisters agreed to Utopia with the Avatars, in hopes to create a better world without demons and in a way to escape their magical duties. Creating Utopia didn't end as planned and the world had to be returned to its original state, forcing the sisters to return to their magical heritage and to their final destiny which required them to retrieve Leo from his ice prison and defeating the Ultimate Power. Along the way they lost their true cause, that of being the Protectors of the Innocent. She hated to admit it but they _had_ become selfish and self-involved, something even Christy Jenkins had been right about.

Piper slowly turned her head to the closed door as there was a soft knock. The door slowly opened as Leo entered the room. He was relieved to see Piper up and out of bed. She had spent the last two days in bed, refusing to eat and isolating herself from everyone, even her sisters. Phoebe had come over right after Piper broke down in Leo's arms and tried to get through to her sister but to no avail. The middle sister was saddened to see Piper that way and she felt powerless, she didn't know how to pick up her big sister from this emotional low. Paige had made a brief visit but her time was limited since she had started her social working position a few days before.

Leo closed the door behind him before moving towards his wife. "Hey," he greeted. "I'm glad to see you're up,"

Piper nodded her head. "I was getting tired of the bed,"

Joy began to rise within Leo; he was so happy that Piper had actually spoken to him. It was the most she had said to anyone in days. "How're you feeling?"

Piper rose up from the couch, wrapping the blanket tighter around her as she moved towards the fireplace. On top of the mantle sat three photo frames, one picture was of Piper with her sisters, the second one was of her, Leo and their sons and the last frame held a picture Wyatt and Chris smiling happily. Piper glanced at each of them for a moment before turning back to Leo. "To be honest, a little lost,"

"Honey, that's to be expected after what you left behind but you have got to find a way to deal with this because your boys need you, I need you." After Leo spoke his words he realized how selfish it sounded. Piper was going through something very difficult and here he was making her feel guilty for not being there for them.

"I just needed some time on my own, to gather my thoughts," Piper explained, pulling the blanket from her shoulders and tossing it on the chair the stood next to the fireplace. "It's not just leaving that world and everything there; it's dealing with the truth that followed it."

"Can I help you in any way to deal with this?" Leo sincerely asked.

Piper moved towards her husband and nuzzled up against his chest. "You can just hold me right now."

Leo let out a deep breath as he wrapped his arms around his wife, content to have her back in his arms. "I can do that."

Piper broke the embrace before sitting down on the couch again. Leo followed after and joined her. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting these last couple of days."

Leo shook his head dismissing the apology. "You have nothing to be sorry about, you didn't ask for this to happen to you."

Piper lowered her head before speaking, "But somehow I think it was supposed to happen."

"What do you mean?" Leo questioned.

"I didn't find that demon on my own," Piper informed. "I was sent after him...by the Elders."

Leo looked at Piper questionably. "Why would you think that?"

"Let's just say I didn't just happen to stumble upon the Book of Shadows page on my own," Piper replied. Leo kept his quizzical stare as she continued, "I was trying to find some more information on the Brotherhood when the Book's pages began turning on their own and stopped at the page of that illusion demon."

"So that's why you set out to track the demon?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Piper replied. "Every Halliwell knows when the Book directs you to a demon; it's one we have to deal with."

"But why would the Elders do this to you? They should have realized that something like this could happen." Leo said with slight disgust at what his former bosses have done to his wife.

"That's why I'm going to summon one of them, I need to know why this had to happen." Piper said.

"Are you sure that's a wise decision?" Leo asked. "I mean you don't exactly see eye to eye with the Elders and we'd be in big trouble if you blew one of them up."

Piper gave a slight chuckle. "Don't worry, there will be no blowing up, I just have a few things I'd like to get off of my chest."

"Okay, I'll leave you to it then." Leo said. "Can I bring you some breakfast?"

Piper nodded her head. "I think I could use something to eat."

"Good," Leo said, moving towards Piper. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead before saying, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Piper softly replied.

Leo lovingly smiled at his wife before leaving the room for Piper to do what she had to do. Piper moved back towards the couch and sat down on the coffee table by the foot of the couch. She hunched over slightly and clasped hands together before closing her eyes and calling upon one of the Elders.

In a swirl of dancing blue spheres of light, the Elder Sandra appeared in her golden lined white robe with her hands clasped together. "Hello, Piper."

Piper rose up from the table and stood across from Sandra. "Listen, no offence but I'm not up to pleasantries at this moment."

Sandra gave a single understanding nod. "Very well. Why have you called me?"

"To the point," Piper began. "Did you Elders send me after that demon and did you know what was going to happen?"

"Yes," Sandra admitted.

"Okay, my next question then," Piper said. "Why?"

"Piper, it has come to our attention that not only have you lost your way, you have lost your reason for being a witch," Sandra explained. "In order for you to become The Matriarch you have to find your way again and sending you after that demon was the first step. You were sent to a world that was created by your desires for you to ultimately see beyond it and see the bigger picture of life."

Piper's anger began to increase as she listened to the Elder. "Do you Elders have any idea what I have been going through these last couple of days after being in that world?" She brought her hands up to her head in frustration. "Who gave you Elders the right to play God with my life?"

"We're not trying to play God, Piper, we're trying to prepare you for the responsibility that comes with the title of Matriarch," Sandra defended. "Do you even know what being a Matriarch entails?"

Piper's mouth fell to a gape as she shook her head, trying to think of a way to respond but she knew she didn't have the answer to that question.

"It's about being an example to you fellow witches; it's about being the mother-figure for them and guiding them to become what they are meant to be and you can't do that until you find your inner truth, until _you_ rediscover who you truly are," Sandra explained. "And you can't step into the position of Matriarch with any doubts about yourself and your journey to the other world proved that you have some unresolved issues."

The frustration within Piper began to fade. She knew that she had a destiny to become the Matriarch but she never knew what it meant to actually be one and how important it would be to the next generation of witches. In a way she understood the Elders reasons for sending her after that demon but she didn't know if she could forgive them for putting her through that.

"Well, since you Elders seem to know what's good for me, do you have any suggestions on how I'll be able to find my inner truth?" Piper questioned.

Sandra gave a step towards Piper before speaking, "There is one thing you've shared everything with, Piper, the one thing that knows your every truth and desire."

Piper stared at the Elder, confused at what she was getting at. "I don't understand."

Sandra unclasped her hands and lifted her right arm, holding out her palm. In shimmering spheres of blue light a medium sized leather-bound book appeared in the Elder's open palm. She moved forward again and handed to book to Piper.

Piper reached out, took the book and immediately recognized it. "My journal?"

"It may know you better than you know yourself," Sandra stated. "It's a way for you to self-reflect and it's a way for you to rediscover your purpose as a witch and ultimately as a Matriarch."

Piper unclipped the slim flap of the chocolate coloured journal and flipped through a bunch of the pages before glancing up at Sandra again.

"Good luck." Sandra said before she was collected by a column of orbs and returned to the Heavens.

Piper looked back down at the journal again, contemplating taking Sandra's advice. Would she really find the answers she's looking for in her journal?

"Only one way to find out." Piper muttered, moving back to the couch and getting comfortable on it before opening the journal once more. As she was about to read, there was a knock on the door before Leo entered the room with a tray in hand.

"I've got your breakfast." Leo stated, moving toward Piper and placing the tray down on the coffee table.

Piper stared down at the tray, finally realizing how hungry she actually was. The tray contained a small plate with two slices of wholegrain toast with lime marmalade, a small bowl of yogurt topped with fresh strawberries and a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thanks," Piper expressed. "I can't read on an empty stomach, now can I?"

"Read?" Leo questioned.

Piper smirked, lifting the journal for Leo to see. "Let's just say the Elders have given me a reading assignment to work through my issues."

Leo gave her a supportive smile. "Well I know the Elders and I have had our differences but they must have a reason for what they are doing."

"Hey!" Piper exclaimed. "Whose side are you on now?"

"Let's just say I had a moment to re-examine the whole situation, being an ex-Elder gives me a little insight into their motives." Leo explained. "Did your talk give you what you needed?"

"I will most probably deny ever saying this but they did have a good reason for what they did," Piper said. "Now I have to see if their reasons will pay off." She lifted the journal and waved it in the air before lowering it to her lap again.

"Have fun." Leo said, turning to leave. Piper gave a sarcastic chuckle as Leo closed the door behind him.

Piper leaned forward and picked up a slice of toast before sitting back. She tucked her legs in under her and took a bite of her steaming toast before turning the pages of the journal with her other hand.

As she turned the pages, Piper realized how much this journal had actually been a part of her life. She had kept a journal for most of her life but hardly had time to write in it when she attended college. Once she graduated, Grams gave her a brand new journal as a graduation present and she had been writing in it ever since. After a couple of years Piper realized that Grams had put a charm on the book that made it add additional pages once she approached the last in the journal.

Piper finally stopped at a date she remembered well and began to read it.

_October 14, 1998_

_When I reached out to open the church door my hand was shaking so bad. I was so terrified that I'd be hit by lighting just like that witch was on that documentary I saw. But to my absolute relief, nothing happened. I was finally convinced that I was a good witch. The talk Phoebe and I had earlier in the attic is what gave me the courage to even attempt entering the church again._

_I'll admit it. I'm scared. I'm scared of what it means to be a witch. I know there are warlocks out there who want our heads on a platter but I never thought that I'd see something as awful as the demon I saw tonight. With a Power of Three spell, Prue conjured the Hand of Fatima, which was scary enough in itself but watching that demon be destroyed was beyond my imagination. I could never imagine things like that existing but now that I'm a witch, it's become a part of my everyday life. _

_Saving Brittany and those other girls from Javna made me feel proud. There's nothing like the thrill of saving an innocent life and knowing that it's thanks to you that they are still alive. I've always loved helping people and according to Phoebe, it's in my blood. Being a witch is still scary and it will probably be for a while, but if my powers will help me save an innocent life, then it can't be that bad, right? _

Piper could only smirk at how naïve she was back then. She didn't know any better and it saddened her slightly that she had lost that boundless optimism, that innocence. After everything she had been through and after everything she had lost, Piper wasn't all that surprised at how much she had changed over the years, she just wished that she had ultimately changed for the better.

Piper took the final bite of her toast and leaned forward to take a sip of the coffee. She placed the cup back down before continuing her reading session. She flipped another couple of pages and stopped at an entry that put a knot in her stomach.

_June 8, 2001_

_Why? That is the first question that comes my mind. Why did Prue have to die and leave me here to pick up the pieces? I never thought that we'd lose each other and it just proves that we became far too comfortable with living dangerously. We thought that we were indestructible and look what happened. _

_Now I've been left to be the oldest sister, to be the leader of the Charmed Ones. Can I even do that? Can I lead my sisters into battle against the Source? _

_Sometimes I feel like being a witch just brings more pain than anything else. Is all this pain worth it? Is it worth sacrificing our lives to protect the innocent and in the process, is it worth it to lose each other?_

Piper remembered writing this piece like it was yesterday. She was in a dark place after Prue's death. She doubted everything they were about and she would have given up her magic right then and there but she knew she couldn't do that. The Source was still out there so she had to force herself to pick up the pieces and to bring her sisters together in the fight against the Source. Her desire to make Prue proud motivated Piper to be the best leader she could possibly be and to continue the fight against evil. She knew that's what Prue would have done but she always worried if she'd be able to life up to the expectations.

Piper realized what an affect some of the entries were having on her. It was strange reliving some of her past feelings and reading entries of a person she no longer knew. She realized that Sandra was right; as hard as it was to admit she had lost who she truly was.

Piper procrastinated turning the pages, afraid of how the next couple of entries would make her feel but she had to, she needed to face the truth. She needed to find the person she used to be, before she lost that person completely. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before letting it out again, knowing that she had to turn the pages, she needed to do it.

_March 29, 2005_

_I don't know what to think right now. Leo finally revealed his secret to us today. He's an avatar. After Kira was killed, Phoebe and I agreed to hear what the other avatars had to say about this supposed Utopia that Phoebe saw in her vision. Though everything sounds wonderful and it's everything I could possibly dream of, I can't help but feel a little uneasy about it. The Avatars explained that they'd need our help to create Utopia. Now it's one thing to vanquish evil beings, but it's another to actually change the world._

_Does that make us selfish? Do we even have the right to change people's lives just because we want a better life? Leo keeps explaining to me that this is the great solution to everything bad in the world. Demons would be gone and the world would be a safer and a better place not just for us but for everyone. I just can't help but feel there is more to this Utopia than what the Avatars are telling us. I just feel that we don't have the right to mess with the Grand Design of the universe but Phoebe and Leo are trying their best to put my mind at ease. I just hope that if we go through with this that it won't be a huge mistake._

After reading that entry, Piper wished she had trusted her instincts about Utopia and the Avatars. She could have stopped a whole lot of bad things from happening but she knew it had to happen, it proved to them that _they_ couldn't play God with the world. Even if they couldn't change it, they could help make the world a safer place by fighting. She knew that during the last year, she had lost her will to fight for the Greater Good after Leo was set to die so that she and her sisters would be motivated to fight their final battle. She didn't find that fair or right and she knew at that moment, she was just fighting to win and not fighting for the Greater Good.

She flipped a few pages back to earlier entries, feeling that there was something she needed to read.

_May 7, 2000_

_This isn't easy. And I doubt that it will ever be. Losing an innocent isn't acceptable and losing Dr. Williamson just broke me in two. Not even my sisters' comforting words or even Leo's comforting embrace could ease the guilt that was eating me up. This man tried to save my life not to long ago and even though I survived by Leo's hands doesn't mean Dr. Williamson didn't do everything in his power to keep me alive...so why couldn't I save him? Wasn't I meant to save him? _

_Granted, he did some horrible things in his last days and cost a few people their lives but was it in our hands to choose if he lives or dies? I can't explain the twinge of rage I felt for Prue when she telekinetically sent that blade back onto him. I know she did it to protect us, after all that's what Prue does, but was it necessary to actually kill him? It's days like these that I wish we never discovered our powers. It is after all our powers that got us into this huge mess. If we weren't witches and if I never survived the Oroya Fever, Dr. Williamson would never have had a reason to draw blood from me, Prue or Phoebe and none of this would have happened! Right now I feel as if I don't have the right to be alive. If I could, I would have died just save him._

Piper admired the selflessness she had back then and realized that she had lost that quality over the years. To this day there has never been an innocent that touched Piper more than Dr. Williamson had. After his death she had vowed to do her best to save any and all future innocents, at times it seemed like a difficult feat when certain innocents were simply un-savable. She knew that at times their destiny cost certain innocents their lives but in truth it also gave them the opportunity to save the majority of their innocents.

(-v-)

Leo strolled into the attic to find his sons sitting in their playpen and Charlie sitting on the couch nearby with the Book of Shadows on her lap.

Charlie moved her feet off of the couch and turned to Leo. "How's Piper doing?"

"I think she'll be fine," Leo replied, sitting down next to her. "She discovered why she was sent to that world and the Elders gave her some advice on how to deal with that and the other issues she has."

"I really hope she'll be okay." Charlie wished.

Leo gave her a reassuring nod. "I'm sure she'll be able to work through it. I spoke with one of the Elders after she spoke to Piper and she's pretty sure that Piper will find her way again. It's not only important for them but it's important for Piper to rediscover who she is before she becomes the Matriarch."

"That's soon, isn't it?" Charlie questioned.

"It's during the Winter Solstice, so yeah, she doesn't have a lot of time." Leo replied. "But I have faith in Piper, she'll be ready."

"I hope you're right," Charlie breathed as she continued to flip through the Book. "Do you think things between her and the boys will be better soon?"

"Piper said that it's not about them, it's more about something she learned when she came back," Leo responded. "I don't know what that is yet, but I think she needs to work it out before she can tell us what it is."

Charlie nodded, understanding. She continued to flip through the Book until she stopped at the Brotherhood page. She turned her head to Leo and asked, "How much do you know about the Brotherhood?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Leo replied. "I taught a class on upper-level demonic organizations when I was at Magic School."

"Well, I have been over this page about a hundred times and I still feel like we don't know all we need to know, do you know of anything else that's not on this page?" Charlie questioned.

Leo smiled warmly, glad to share his knowledge. "Plenty."

(-v-)

Piper flipped through her journal once more after she had read through a few more of the entries. She stopped at another entry from seven years ago.

_May 21st, 1999._

_Leo just left a few minutes ago and I miss him already. I wished that I had told him to stay, told him to leave his magical destiny behind to be with me, like he offered, but I just couldn't do that. Just like my destiny is important to me, I'm sure Leo's is important to him as well. He has a gift of protecting people, guiding them, even people he doesn't know, like Daisy. He risked getting killed to protect her from a darklighter. That makes me love him even more; he has such a good heart. _

_I never could have imaged that Leo was a whitelighter. In a way I thought that it would simplify our relationship since he already knew about me being a witch but in truth it's only made things more complicated. According to Leo, Whitelighters aren't allowed to be with their charges. Right before he left Leo explained to me that he once was mortal and that he could be again if that's what I wanted. We could be together without any interference from his bosses but I knew that would be selfish. I couldn't deprive future whitelighters and witches from having Leo in their lives, he's too important to the greater good to be stripped away from it just because it's what I want. I can't tell you how much I wanted to tell him to give up his powers, his immortality so that we could be together. But that would be incredibly selfish of me, I wish I could but I can't. It's just sadly another sacrifice I have to make._

Piper realized that even back then she was saddled with the question of selfishness versus selflessness. That was an ever constant in her life, even in the other world she had chosen to be selfish but in the end her selflessness was too strong to contain. At times she felt like she had given up enough in her life that she deserved to be a little selfish at times but it seemed to have gotten her in more trouble than anything else. But on the other hand, even though magic has been somewhat of a pain during the years, she couldn't deny the fact that it had given her a lot as well. If it weren't for magic, she would never have met Leo and so their beautiful sons wouldn't have been born. If it weren't for magic, Paige wouldn't have existed and she would never have been a part of their lives. Piper already had a taste of what life would be like without Paige and she knew she'd never be able to live with that.

Magic didn't always give what it promised but in the end it made up for it. Like with Melinda. Years before, she was promised a daughter but had a son. At that time Piper was torn between her love for Wyatt and her heart's desire for Melinda. Over the years the disappointment disappeared and her love for Wyatt grew more and more. She knew now that she could never trade Wyatt _or_ Chris for that matter, for anything in the world, she loved them too much.

She continued to flip though the pages until she stopped at a recent date.

_April 25th, 2006_

_What a day it has been. After speaking with Sandra, she informed me that Billie and Christy might be the ones we'll have to fight to get Leo back. Not long after that Billie and Christy trapped Paige, Phoebe and myself in dream states. Why they exactly did it is beyond me? But I did encounter Billie in my one dream. She said that I hold her responsible for Leo; in a sense it's true. If Sandra's right, I have to fight her to get him back. Something that really unsettled me was when I was talking to Dominique. He told me that I need to stop neglecting everything for Leo. I never noticed before but I have put everything on hold for Leo. I'm neglecting my nightclub, my boys and the worst thing of all, I'm neglecting my destiny. _

_I'm so desperate to fight the battle and to get it over with that it's become my only focus. Everything else has become secondary. I'm so obsessed with getting Leo back that my whole life is slipping through the cracks. I know getting Leo back is important but maybe Phoebe is right, maybe this is __our__ battle and not just mine. Since Leo was taken I have felt like it's been my responsibility to get him back, to save him. Truth is, I can't do this alone anymore, I can't keep sacrificing everything in my life. What have I become? _

That was the moment everything snapped back into focus for Piper. She knew Billie and Christy needed to be stopped and even though she thought vanquishing them was the answer to their problems, deep down she knew that vanquishing them would mean she'd be murdering two humans, regardless if it was self-defense or not.Looking back, even though they had gone though with their plans to destroy each other, Piper couldn't believe what she was capable of.

She turned about two pages on and stopped at another date, the date when their battle was finally over.

_May 24th, 2006_

_These last couple of days have been....well there isn't a easy way to put it into words. I'm relieved to put it mildly. The battle is over, Leo's home, my sisters are alive and everything is just...wonderful. Today, I have felt this strange feeling. The feeling that we're finally done. That everything we've been through and lost in the last eight years has finally been justified. The future is looking bright...and that's just because I got a very special glimpse of where I will be in fifty years. I'll have a bunch of grandkids and I'll still be happily married and playing Scrabble._

_Even though I'm now blissfully happy with my life, my thoughts keep turning to Billie. Phoebe and Paige have spoken to her since Christy's death but I just can't face the girl who threw my family into turmoil. She did help us defeat Christy but can that erase all that she has done to us? Everything she has put us through? I considered Billie family and I think that's what hurts the most. The fact that is, it feels like you've been betrayed by your sister. Billie used my son's power to gain a way to destroy us. How can she justify that act? Using an innocent child in a battle that does not concern him directly. He had nothing to do with our battle and yet she inadvertently placed him smack dab in the middle. I'm struggling to understand her reasons; I'm having a hard time placing myself in her shoes as I'm so filled with rage when it comes to that girl. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive her for what she's done. As far as I'm concerned...Billie Jenkins died along with her evil sister. _

Piper lowered the journal to her lap, a single glistening tear rolling down her rosy cheek. She knew she had unresolved anger when it came to Billie but she never realized how cold she had become. Now one could blame her, she had her reasons for feeling the way she did but now Piper analyzed the situation with more of an open mind. Christy was Billie's big sister, the one she looked up to and trusted more than anyone else. This pretty much mirrored Piper's relationship with Prue. Piper would never question Prue's authority, she trusted her with everything she was and she emulated her sister. If Piper were in Billie's situation of not having her sister in her life for fifteen years, she'd pretty much do anything to hang onto her no matter what the cost. For a moment, Piper imagined what Billie must have been feeling that night she killed her own sister, her flesh and blood. Piper could and would never comprehend that feeling no matter how hard she tried. She knew if she had been the reason for Prue's death that she wouldn't know how to go on...how to be...how to continue to live with that guilt.

Piper now realized that maybe the Elders had another reason for giving her this assignment; maybe it wasn't just for her to self-reflect but to reflect on Billie and her situations. This was a big part of Piper's drawback. She couldn't go on like this. She couldn't keep this hatred in her heart anymore, it's not who she truly was. She was never one to hold a grudge against anyone and she was ashamed that she held onto this one for so long. She needed to make things right, and the sooner, the better.

Piper knew that her journal had helped her see a different side of herself; she realized now why she was destined to become the Matriarch she just needed to realize who she truly was. She knew a change like this wasn't going to happen overnight but she had the courage to try, to be a better person, to be the role model she was meant to be for all the other witches out there. The challenge was great, but Piper knew she had been through tougher challenges before. Even though she did not know all the other important details of her destiny, she was willing to discover them all in time.

The soon-to-be Matriarch closed the journal and brought it up to her chest with a sigh. She felt mildly relieved, as if the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders, the darkness in her heart finally ceasing to exist. She felt at peace with what she left behind in the other world, her normal life, her normal family and even little Melinda. Piper knew if it was truly destined, she'd have Melinda, if not, she'd find a way to accept it.

The Witch glanced up as there was a knock on the door; her handsome husband stepped into the room with a look of optimism on his face. "So," he began. "How's the assignment been paying off?"

"Pretty good, actually." Piper responded, scooting to the right of the couch to make some room for her husband.

Leo happily sat down before asking, "So you've worked through your issues?"

"Some of them, yeah, there are a few more things that I need to get straightened out if I'm to start with a clean slate." Piper replied.

"Like?" Leo questioned.

"First, the whole debacle with Billie," Piper answered. "She made a mistake but I've made a few, or you know, _a lot_ myself and it's not like we've never been under the influence of evil so maybe we can bury the hatchet on everything that has happened."

Leo smiled, approving of his wife's new outlook on things. "I think that's great."

Piper hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "There's something else,"

"What?" Leo asked. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Well, you know Melinda has been on my mind a lot lately and I've just realized that even though we don't have her, we've been blessed with two beautiful children and I wouldn't trade them for anything." Piper explained.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, honey," Leo said. "I'd hate to think that you resent the boys in any way."

"I don't, I really don't," Piper insisted. "Destiny seemed to work out this way. I was meant to have our sons, I don't doubt that. We can't always predict the future and maybe having a son it gave us more of an open mind to what lies in the future."

"Piper, do you want us to have another baby?" Leo questioned, not sure where his wife was going with their conversation.

"Maybe," Piper responded. "But not now, not with this new destiny hanging over my head but maybe in future when things have calmed down, another baby would be nice."

"Piper, now this is me you're talking to and I need you to be honest, are you still holding out hope for Melinda?" Leo questioned, taking Piper's left hand in his.

Piper paused for a moment before smiling at her husband. "If we're destined to have our daughter someday then it would be great but regardless if we have a daughter or another son, I'd love the baby no matter what." Piper promised.

Leo pulled Piper into his embrace and sighed contently. "It's good to have you back, honey."

Piper closed her eyes as she leaned against Leo's chest and smiled. "It's good to be back." She sat up as little Wyatt came running into the bedroom with Chris hot on his heels.

Wyatt stood still for a moment, slightly cautious. "Mommy, are you feeling better?"

Piper beamed at her children, loving them now more than ever. "Much better, now get over here and give Mommy a big hug!" She extended her arms to her sons as they rushed towards her and embraced her.

Leo joined in on the hug, wrapping his arms around his family. They giggled happily as Piper lifted Chris up onto her lap while Wyatt snuggled in between his parents. Piper wanted to remember this moment forever, the moment of pure happiness. She appreciated a lot of things even more now, she was just sorry that it had taken her so long to see it.

(-v-)

Later that night silence fell over both Wyatt and Chris' respective bedrooms. Piper quietly entered Wyatt's room and moved over to his bed where the toddler was sound asleep. She had already checked on Chris and he was fast asleep as well. She carefully sat down on the bed, next to her son. Piper pulled the covers higher, tucking her sleeping child in. She lightly brushed his blonde tresses from his eyes before leaning over, placing a delicate kiss on his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet baby." Piper whispered before slowly rising from the bed and leaving the room and her slumbering son.

Piper closed the door softly before moving down the hall to her bedroom. She brushed her hair back with her fingers as she tied it back into a messy ponytail before entering her room and closing the door behind her.

Piper's eye caught her journal sitting on the coffee table. She felt grateful to the journal for giving her the opportunity to revisit her past without magic. It showed her that even without magic, she can learn a valuable lesson, the lesson to be better. Piper moved over to the journal, swiped it up from the table and moved towards her neatly turned downed bed. She flopped onto the bed, crossing her legs before leaning to her left to open the drawer of her bedside table. She rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out a silver pen. She shoved the drawer closed before making herself comfortable again on the bed.

"I'm turning over a new leaf, might as well start with a fresh leaf in my journal as well." Piper mused to herself.

She unclasped the leather journal once more but not to relive past memories, but to start new ones and ultimately to start anew with herself. She uncapped the pen and breathed a deep satisfactory breath before placing the pen to the paper and writing her new entry...

(-v-)

**Thanks so much for reading chapter 7 and I really hope that it was a good one. I'd love to hear from you readers. May the review be long or short, it doesn't matter. They are appreciated none the less. Thanks to the wonderful Phoenixlighter for being my guide and my trusted idea pitcher. You are the reason that this chapter came to be and I praise you for being such a big part of its development. Many thanks. To all the readers: Thanks you for sticking around for a year and may we have many more years together. **


	8. Even Angels Fall

**A/N: I know, long time no write. As always I am sorry for the months of silence. With starting a new job and having an operation recently, things in my life have been even more hectic but I'm glad to finally get this chapter up. A special thanks and a hug goes out to my awesome proof reader Ian (Nerf) for his support and help with this chapter and giving me advice. I think you had the right idea, Ian. ;). Okay enough rambling. Enjoy, read, review and like...or not :P**

**Chapter 8 – Even Angels Fall**

**Teaserline: Fallen angels don't always want to be saved**

(-v-)

_**October 5, 2006**_

Piper paced up and down the aisle behind the bar of P3, the black cordless telephone pressed against her ear and great annoyance visible on her features.

She rolled her eyes as the person on the telephone spoke to her. "Joe, we have a long standing relationship with each other, but this is the third week we've had delivery issues. I'm tired of being nice about this," she argued before Joe spoke again. "Listen, either you get those cases of beer here before five pm, or I'll be looking for another supplier, which I think would be easier than listening to my customers whine about my beer shortage for yet another night!"

Piper turned as she saw Charlie approach her with her arms full of swizzle stick boxes in a small orange crate. Charlie placed down the crate and gave Piper a questionable look.

Piper held up her finger, wanting just a moment. "Fine. You better not let me down this time, Joe. Bye." She removed the phone from her ear and placed it down on the base. "Unbelievable!"

"What's his excuse this time?" Charlie asked, pushing her ponytail off of her shoulder.

Piper shook her head in disappointment. "Pick an excuse, any excuse," she offered. "But he's promised that it will be here by five."

Charlie gave a hopeful smile. "I sure hope so. I hate it when customers get hostile, especially when it concerns their liquor."

"Between hostile demons and hostile customers, I'd rather face the demons." Piper laughed as Charlie joined in. "How's the other stock looking?"

"Pretty good," Charlie replied. "The snack platters are fine; I ordered some new Cocktail glasses and some more napkins since the supplier messed up the name."

"What is going on in the world lately?" Piper questioned. "Has no one heard of customer service?"

"Tell me about it. I have an easier time tracking down mandrake root than getting napkins replaced," Charlie said, turning to the crate and unpacking some of the swizzle stick boxes.

"Well let's hope that is the only thing that goes south today," Piper said right before showers of brilliant white light filled the vast dance floor of the club, illuminating the newly painted purple walls.

Both Piper and Charlie directed their attention to the visitor that was teleporting into the club. They were both surprised to see an unknown Elder appear to them. He was clad in the usual Elder attire, his wavy silver tresses neatly brushed back.

Charlie remained situated behind the bar as Piper moved out from behind the counter to approach the new Elder. She was still a little wary of the higher beings of good since her last encounter with Odin.

"Who are you?" Piper questioned, tucking her hands into the back pockets of her dark jeans.

"My name is Noah," the Elder replied, clasping his hands together, the loose sleeves of his white robe flowing with each movement. "And I come with an assignment for you."

"An assignment for me?" Piper questioned, raising her hand to her chest. "I think you have the wrong sister, pal, I'm not the witchlighter."

"Oh, no, Piper, I'm looking for you," Noah replied, serenely. "We need your help to guide a fallen whitelighter back onto the right path, before we lose her to the other side."

Piper stared at the unknown Elder confused. "Why me? I mean, why not get Paige to deal with this? It is, after all, in the Whitelighter job description to keep people on the right path."

"Paige has more important tasks she must tend to," Noah answered. "After all, Piper, we know you are searching for a way to get back to your newly discovered roots and this will count immensely in your favour on your path to being The Matriarch."

Piper gave a frustrated groan while rolling her eyes. "Fine, then. If you really want to use the Matriarch card on me," she quipped. "Now how will I find this fallen whitelighter?"

"Aubrey was last sensed at this address." Noah held out his hand as a small piece of parchment appeared in a flash of golden light in his open palm. "You will most likely find something to scry for her there."

Piper reached out and took the piece of parchment. "Why can't you Elders ever make my job easier by just telling me where the people I am searching for are?" she mused. "It's always a game of 'hide and seek'."

Noah's mouth curved into crooked grin. "Now, where's the fun in that?" Piper couldn't help but give a slight smile while shaking her head slightly at the Elder. "Good luck." Noah closed his eyes as he tilted his head back slightly, calling upon his orbing ability to teleport him back to his dwelling.

Piper looked at the parchment as she turned back to her cousin. "Remind me again. I wanted to get back to my magical duties, right?"

Charlie smirked before asking, "Do you want some help with your assignment?"

"I'd really prefer it you could continue with the almighty club duties, if you don't mind?" Piper said, retrieving her handbag from under the counter.

"Say no more, Charlie replied. "Your trusty club manager is on the job."

"Thanks, Charlie," Piper expressed, gratefully. "You really have been a godsend lately."

"Aw, it's nothing," Charlie waved it off. "It's nice to be needed sometimes."

Piper smiled at her cousin before grabbing her brown coat, ready to leave. "I'll see you later." The Witch made her way across the room to the stairs to exit the club.

(-v-)

The ringing sound echoed throughout the empty hallway of an apartment building as Piper stepped out of the elevator, searching her surroundings. The apartment building was oddly silent, but Piper knew that was the least of her worries. She needed to find this Whitelighter, even if only to prove to the ever-knowing Elders that she was in fact ready to be the Matriarch.

Piper moved down the hall as the numbers of the apartments began to decrease until she finally found the one she was looking for: Apartment 33. She raised her hand and made it into a fist before knocking a few times on the wooden door. She waited for a moment. No answer, not even a slight rumble from inside the apartment.

Piper's brow furrowed as she moved her hand to the doorknob and turned it. The door opened and she made her way inside to be faced with a horrific sight.

"Oh, my God," she gasped softly, closing the door behind her and moving further into the apartment.

Piper stared down at the floor where the body of a lifeless young man laid in a pool of blood, his bright green eyes frozen open, exhibiting the terror he must have felt at the moment of his untimely demise. His chest was carbonized and his blood stained the button-down white shirt he was wearing. The Witch knew that the young man's fatal injury was caused by an energy ball, a high voltage one at that.

A shiny trinket in the open palm of the man's hand caught Piper's eye and she bent down to retrieve it. She delicately removed it from his hand and studied it. It was a charm bracelet, a lovely one. She examined each hanging charm and came across a name engraved on the heart charm.

"Aubrey."

Piper knew she had found what she needed; she just wished that she could have saved this innocent from whatever demon that felt the need to end his young life so prematurely. She held her right hand over his open eyes and brushed them closed, hoping to give him some sense of peace.

She lifted herself up from the floor and pulled out her cellphone while stuffing the charm bracelet into her pocket. After setting her cellphone to private caller, Piper moved towards the door while dialing 911. She opened the door and as she stepped out of the apartment, she spoke into the phone.

"Hello, I'd like to report a murder..."

(-v-)

Piper entered the manor and placed all her things on the side table by the door.

"Mommy!"

Piper smiled broadly as her sons ran towards her to greet her. She scooped them up into her arms and gave them each a hug and a kiss. "Oh, I missed you."

"We missed you too, Mommy," Wyatt said. "Daddy bought us some new crayons today so we made you some nice pictures."

"Well, I can't wait to see them," Piper said as she saw Leo approaching them. "Go and get them and then I'll take a look."

"Okay!" Wyatt and Chris both responded before running to the sunroom to collect their drawings.

"Hi, honey," Leo greeted, giving Piper a kiss. "I wasn't expecting you home so early."

"Well, I've received a little assignment from the Elders so that's why I had to leave the club early," Piper explained.

"What kind of assignment?" Leo questioned, intrigued that the Elders recruited Piper for an assignment. They didn't usually call upon witches to take care of their troubles; it was usually a Whitelighter's job.

"They have asked me to help guide a fallen whitelighter back to the right path. I just came from the apartment where she was last sensed and-" Piper paused for a moment, the man's terrified eyes still fresh in her memory. "I found a dead man there."

"Her charge?" Leo asked concerned, his brow creasing.

"I assume so," Piper answered. "I found a charm bracelet of hers and hopefully I'll be able to scry for her with it."

"I'm sure you'll find her," Leo assured.

Piper took a quick breath before asking Leo a question she was slightly dreading. "Listen, I know you have to work this afternoon, but do you think Mitchell will be able to give you the whole day off?" she asked. "I won't be able to go demon hunting and take care of the kids as well."

"I suppose I could; he offered to give me the whole day off in the first place. But where's Charlie?" Leo asked. "Can't she help out with the boys?"

"We're having some issues with stock deliveries for the club and she's taking care of it. Otherwise I would have asked her, but the club has been getting a bad rep lately for not having alcohol, so I'd prefer it if she'd stay focused on that," Piper explained. "You know there's nothing worse than a high school-esque club that only has a juice bar."

Leo chuckled slightly at the platitude. "I have an idea," he announced. "Why don't I take the boys with me to work?"

"What?"

"Wyatt's been helping me out a lot with my truck here and I'm sure he'd love it and I'll put Chris in his playpen in the office with Trisha. She loves having the boys around," Leo suggested.

Trisha was an elderly lady that did office work at the Garage and loved both Wyatt and Chris dearly. Trisha was a widow and never had children of her own, so she considered herself Wyatt and Chris' honorary grandmother.

"Okay, but you keep an eye on them and clean them up before coming home," Piper warned. "I don't want my children coming home as little grease monkeys." She turned as she heard the pitter-patter of feet running towards them.

"Look, Mama!" Chris said excitedly as both he and Wyatt handed their drawings to their mom.

Piper gasped in amazement. "These are very beautiful; they are definitely going up on the fridge."

Piper studied the pictures. Wyatt's drawing was of little stick figures of his family in front of the Manor. Piper admired her three year old's artistic talent. Chris' little drawing was more abstract than Wyatt's, but the swirls of different colours reminded Piper of magical portals. In her eyes, the pictures were exquisite pieces of art.

She handed the drawings back to her sons. "Why don't you go stick them on up?"

The boys nodded their heads, taking the drawings and running towards the kitchen. Leo hurried after them as Piper pulled the charm bracelet from her pocket. She studied it in her open palm before moving towards the stairs to head on up to the attic. Just as Piper was about to climb the first step, the doorbell rang.

Piper groaned as she moved back towards the front door while placing the charm bracelet back in her pocket. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see who was standing on her threshold. "Billie?"

"Hi, Piper," Billie said softly. "I don't mean to intrude, I just..."

Piper stared at the young girl. She hadn't seen or heard from Billie in two months and wasn't expecting her to show up at her front door. Piper studied Billie's demeanor. She seemed uncomfortable, cautious...

Billie shook her head as she spoke with a stutter. "This, this was a mis-, mistake. I'm sorry, I'm leaving now."

She turned to leave as Piper called out to her. "Billie, no. Don't go." Billie turned back to Piper, surprised. She wasn't expecting her former friend to even attempt to stop her. "I guess it's time we talked." Piper held open the door for Billie to enter the Manor.

Billie gave her a small, grateful smile as she moved into the manor. Her eyes widened happily as she saw Wyatt and Chris coming out from the kitchen. "Hi, guys!"

Wyatt stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Billie before grabbing hold of his brother and calling upon his orbing ability. In a great swirl of orbing lights, the brothers were collected and teleported away.

"Wyatt?!" Leo called after his son as he saw the remaining orbs disappearing. He glanced towards Piper and saw Billie standing in the foyer. "Billie, this is a surprise. How are you?" He was pleasantly surprised to see the blonde witch again. He didn't harbour the same resentment Piper did since he wasn't present during the whole Ultimate Battle debacle. He always believed in giving people the benefit of the doubt, and even if Piper didn't always agree with that, she respected it.

"I'm good, thanks, Leo," Billie replied, turning towards Piper. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare Wyatt off like that. The last thing I want to do is upset him."

"It's fine, he's still a little wary of you after what happened," Leo explained.

Billie nodded, understanding. "Of course, I wouldn't expect him to act any other way after what Christy and I did to him... to you guys."

"I'll go check on the boys," Leo said. "It's good seeing you, Billie, welcome back." Billie gave Leo a grateful smile before he made his way up the stairs, leaving the witches in private.

"Yeah, about that," Piper began. "I think it's time we talk." She moved towards the conservatory with Billie following close behind her. They sat down on the white wicker seats before Piper spoke. "Billie, I know you and I have had a hard couple of months."

"And I know it's my fault, Piper, really I do," Billie interjected. "I understand that what I did was wrong and that my judgment was off on everything, way off, even in believing everything my sister told me about you guys."

Piper gave a soft chuckle. Billie had not changed one bit, she was still the rambler she always was. "Billie, I believe that you're sorry."

"Really, Piper, I've changed... wait." Billie shook head, not sure if she heard correctly. "You believe me?"

"I do," Piper responded, simply. "It hurt me that you didn't trust me or my sisters, but I've also sort of seen us through your eyes, and I kind of get why Christy and Dumain were able to alter your opinion about us, about what we were supposed to do as the Charmed Ones."

"I really wish my trust in you was strong enough not to believe them," Billie admitted sadly.

"Like I said, I understand how they could turn you against us, but the thing I've been wrestling with for months is how you could use Wyatt to destroy us," Piper admitted, lowering her head, allowing her hair to cascade over her shoulder.

Billie frowned sadly. "Piper, I really wish that I..."

"Billie, let me finish," Piper interjected.

"Okay," Billie said, slightly embarrassed, lowering her eyes to the floor. Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink.

"Nothing means more to me than my family, but my children mean everything to me," Piper explained with great force. "Since Wyatt's birth it's been one big battle to protect him from all the evil that surrounded us, but I never thought we'd have to protect him from his Aunt Billie. You didn't just destroy my trust; you destroyed the trust you had in that little boy who loved you like family."

"I know that," Billie acknowledged. "God, Piper, I wish I could take it back, I wish that I didn't do that to him."

"I know you would take everything back if you could, Billie, but I guess I've finally realized that I was never really angry with you," Piper admitted.

"What?" Billie questioned, confused.

Piper clasped her hands together before continuing. "I was mad at myself for not being able to protect Wyatt, to keep him out of danger."

Billie shook her head in disagreement. "Piper, no, if you should blame anyone, you _should_ blame me. You have been a great mother to those kids considering you were the only parent they had for the time Leo was gone."

"Exactly, I was their only parent," Piper said. "I was just so obsessed about stopping you and Christy and getting Leo back that I forgot about the safety of my kids. What kind of mother does that?"

"You are seriously being too hard on yourself, you had to take on a serious burden. It's a wonder that you didn't snap under all the pressure," Billie sympathized. "I should never have put you in the position that you felt that you were being a bad mother." Billie never realized what kind of pressure Piper was under. She was so obsessed with finding her sister that she didn't take into account that Piper wasn't just simply trying to get her husband back, but she was actually trying to get her children's father back. Billie never took into account how hard it must have been on Piper to juggle everything, including taking care of two small boys.

Piper gave Billie a grateful smile. Even after the way she had treated her, Billie was being so kind and supportive. She now felt worse for the way she acted, but knew that she and Billie weren't going to rebuild what they had overnight, it would take some time. Some things were easier to get over than others and Piper knew that. She couldn't just snap her fingers and erase everything that happened between them, but she knew she couldn't harbor this feeling of hate any longer. It wasn't healthy and, in doing so, she wasn't being a good example for her children. Everyone should be forgiven, even if it takes some time.

"Thanks, Billie," Piper said.

"It's true and I know things won't automatically snap back to how they were before, but I'm really hoping that we can get past this thing and try to be friends again," Billie admitted. "You, Phoebe and Paige were like my sisters and it kills me knowing that I threw that relationship away like that. I threw it away for a sister I barely knew."

Piper leaned forward and took Billie's right hand in hers. "Blood is thicker than water, Billie. It takes a lot for us to truly see our family for who they truly are and it's even harder to accept it. I think we've been angry with each other long enough, but it's like you said: things aren't going to be like they were before. Both of us have some healing to do, but we'll see how things go."

"Thank you, Piper, really," Billie expressed.

"We're going to be fine, Billie, but I can't convince Wyatt to trust you again. That's going to be up to you to get back in his good graces," Piper explained, letting go of Billie's hand and sitting back in the couch.

"I know I have to make it up to him and I hope that he'll be able to forgive me," Billie said.

Piper smiled. "Well, he is my son after all. He might be a bit stubborn, but I'm sure he'll come around."

"I hope so," Billie admitted.

Piper dug her hand into her pocket again to retrieve the charm bracelet. She knew she and Billie had to start somewhere to repair their fragile relationship and she thought that maybe having Billie help her with her search would be ideal.

"Billie, do you have anything planned for the rest of the day?" Piper questioned, rolling the charm bracelet around in her palm.

"No, I actually came back a day early to talk to you. I have a meeting with the college dean tomorrow," Billie informed before asking, "Why?"

"The Elders saddled me with an assignment and I could really use some help if you're interested," Piper responded.

"I'd love to help out," Billie said happily, her face brightening up.

She was so relieved that she had received a warmer reception than what she expected. She'd half expected Piper to slam the door in her face the moment she saw her. That, or try to blow her to smithereens. Billie had to work up a lot of courage to even ring the doorbell and now she felt content. Even though she and Piper were at slight odds with each other, she knew after this they'd be able to work it out. It would be nice if she could finally reconnect with all the sisters, but Wyatt was going to be a daunting task. She knew how trusting Wyatt was of those close to him and she knew it would be a while before she would earn back his trust, but she was willing to take that time, no matter how long it took, she would prove to Wyatt that she really was a good person.

(-v-)

A man dressed in a flowing black leather jacket moved along the busy halls of the Brotherhood's Headquarters. He moved swiftly passed everyone, bringing one hand up to his head, slicking back his pitch black tresses. He approached the door to Bacarra's office and knocked twice before the door swung open, allowing him access to the room.

"Suriod, do what do I owe the pleasure?" Bacarra questioned, rising up from his desk chair. "The last time I saw you, you were a measly little darklighter out to kill me."

"Things have changed, Bacarra," Suriod replied. "Obviously, I'm no measly darklighter anymore and you're no longer a measly warlock either."

"Touché," Bacarra agreed. "We've come into great power, something we were always destined to receive."

"I concur," Suriod said.

"So, I'll ask again," Bacarra began, stepping out from behind his desk and moving towards the darklighter. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We all know you've been uniting evil under your Brotherhood umbrella and I'd like to offer my services," Suriod explained.

"You are suggesting a union between our kinds?" Bacarra questioned, intrigued by the proposal.

"Yes, I am."

Bacarra smiled and thought for a moment before extending his hand to his counterpart. "Well, then you've got yourself a union, Suriod."

Suriod grinned, taking Bacarra's hand and giving it an agreeing squeeze. "Excellent, now I have some information for you on the soon-to-be Matriarch."

"Go on," Bacarra implored.

"My minions have informed me of a Whitelighter that has fallen off the path; the Elders have recruited Piper Halliwell to guide her back. This might be the perfect opportunity to add to our fold," Suriod suggested.

"You are suggesting that we turn the Whitelighter?" Bacarra asked.

"Yes, I have the perfect weapon to help the Whitelighter fall further off the path and ultimately, take her to the path of evil." Suriod informed.

"I like that." Bacarra beamed. "Nothing would send the witch reeling more than losing an innocent, let alone losing a Whitelighter to evil."

"Exactly," Suriod agreed. "Piper hardly recovered from her last little episode, getting this Whitelighter might be the final push we need to get her over the ledge."

"Get me your weapon. I have to check in with my advisor and then make contact with my Seer," Bacarra said.

"Very well," Suriod said as he was collected by dark swirling orbs that teleported him from Bacarra's office.

"This is going to be fun," Bacarra said with an evil snicker.

(-v-)

A cloud of white smoke billowed up from the chalice as Billie pulled the purple scrying crystal and the charm bracelet, that was neatly draped around the cord that held the crystal, out after preparing it to scry for Aubrey. She carried it across the room over to Piper who was setting up the map on the round oak table.

"Here you go," Billie said, holding out the crystal to Piper.

"Thanks," Piper said, taking the crystal from her and lowering it to the map. The crystal slowly began to swirl as Piper directed it over the map. "Let's hope that we can find her before it's too late."

"Don't worry, Piper, I'm sure you'll find her. Scrying hasn't let us down before," Billie encouraged.

"Yeah, but we've also never scried for a fallen Whitelighter either," Piper added.

"Right," Billie said as she kept her eyes on the spinning crystal, willing it to drop and to tell Piper where to find Aubrey. The crystal kept moving over the map, struggling to find its target. "I could go and get my laptop and we can scry for her with my GPS."

"That might be a good... wait, it's pulling," Piper informed as the crystal began to swerve towards the Bay Area. The crystal twirled wildly, accompanied by a faint jingle indicating that it had located Aubrey. The crystal dropped as both Piper and Billie peered down to see the location. "She's on top of Golden Gate Bridge."

"How are you going to get there?" Billie questioned. "It's not like we can summon her here, she'll just orb away."

Piper put the crystal down and made her way over to her potions cabinet. She pulled open the doors before searching through the shelves for her desired potion. She took out two vials that contained a white liquid before replying, "With this."

"You still use the teleporting potions?" Billie questioned. She was surprised, since she was she one that introduced the sisters to it.

"It's a handy potion since we don't have an orber in the house anymore," Piper replied, sliding one of the vials into the left side pocket of her dark jeans. "And plus, I don't see myself receiving any teleporting powers in future, so these will have to do."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Billie questioned, hopefully. "You know two voices of reason might be better than one."

"No, it's okay," Piper replied, closing the cabinet again. She looked up and saw that Billie was disappointed. "I just think the Elders wanted me to talk to her alone; that this is just something they want me to do on my own. You know the Elders, they love their little tests."

Billie felt slightly better now that Piper had explained fully why she'd rather approach Aubrey on her own. "Okay, but if you need me, I'll be here," her eyes darted around the room. "cleaning up, I guess."

"Thank you, Billie," Piper said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. Piper moved back over to the map and loosened the charm bracelet from the crystal before stuffing it into her pocket. She took a breath before speaking, "Wish me luck." She envisioned the top of the Bridge. She hadn't been up there herself, but tried to picture it from what Paige and Leo had told her. She raised her hand with the potion and dropped the vial to her feet. Upon shattering, billowing white smoke swirled around the Witch, collecting her, ready to teleport her to her sought after destination.

(-v-)

Bacarra blinked into the elaborate sitting room of the house in which Davon and Dylan were hiding. The house had been owned by the former president of the company the Brotherhood had taken over many years ago and since then they had used the house for Brotherhood purposes. Bacarra, being the new leader, had decided that the house would now become his residence. But, unbeknownst to his followers, he now used it as a screen to hide Dylan.

He moved down the hall towards the gym where he heard grunting sounds. He stood by the door and found Dylan dressed in a black tank top and pants, punching a big red punching bag that hung from the ceiling. Her cheeks were flushed and her fists red from all the anger she put into every punch she delivered. She gave the bag a final round house kick before realizing she had company.

"Ah, Dylan, nice to see you up and about," Bacarra said, moving into the room.

Dylan smirked before replying, slightly out of breath. "Well, well, the great leader finally makes his presence known. Took you long enough to show your evil face."

"Careful, little girl, a little respect would be nice," Bacarra warned.

"Of course," Dylan said with a fake smile.

"Where's Davon?" Bacarra questioned, moving about the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"He's around," Dylan answered. "You know, he can't keep babysitting me every hour of every day." She wiped the dripping sweat from her brow before continuing, "Considering I'm not actually a baby."

"Speaking of you, how are your powers coming along?" Bacarra asked, placing his hands on Dylan's damp shoulders. "Are you still ingesting your potion?"

"You mean that stuff that tastes like ass and in return makes me feel like ass?" Dylan asked in a mock tone. "Yes, unfortunately."

"You're quite sassy," Bacarra admired, brushing a piece of Dylan's dark hair from her shoulder.

"I just tell it like it is; no b.s.," Dylan informed. "I spent too much time in my life keeping my feelings and thoughts bottled up. I won't do that again."

"Yes, you have quite the colorful history, don't you, Dylan Parker?" Bacarra said, removing his hands from the demoness to her relief and moving to face her.

"Dylan Parker doesn't exist anymore," the demoness said, anger rising in her tone. "She was weak." She hated to be reminded of her past and she knew Bacarra was doing it on purpose.

"Of course," Bacarra nodded. "But still, if _it_ didn't happen, you wouldn't be where you are right now, now would you?"

"Listen, Bacarra, are you _trying_ to piss me off?" Dylan questioned. "Because you really are starting to."

"Oh, that temper," Bacarra cooed. "It's because of that temper that your..."

"Enough!" Dylan boomed, shutting her eyes. "I don't like to be reminded of my sordid past, Bacarra, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop bringing it up."

Bacarra paused for a beat. "Very well." He turned to leave. "Just remember, Dylan, I'll be needing you soon. So keep working on your powers and your respect towards me. It will help you get far." Bacarra snickered as he walked away.

Anger began to boil within Dylan as she picked up a blue coloured dumbbell and hurled it at Bacarra's back. It narrowly missed him as he blinked away; the full length mirror outside the room wasn't as lucky. As the flying dumbbell hit the mirror, it shattered, sending splintered glass everywhere.

"God!" Dylan huffed, running her fingers through her damp hair.

(-v-)

Piper felt the potion carrying her through the air, high above San Francisco. She felt her body reconstituting behind the smoke as she appeared on top of Golden Gate Bridge. She gasped slightly as she realized how close to the edge she had appeared. "Whoo, that's high, really high," she muttered under her breath, keeping her eyes low before taking a few steps away from the ledge. Piper thought she had gotten over her fear of heights, but clearly it was still very much intact.

As she lifted her head she saw the back of a blonde haired girl sitting by the ledge. Her soft curls slowly lifted in the breeze as Piper moved forward, hoping not to startle the girl, but she already knew someone was there as she gave a slight glance over her shoulder.

"Aubrey?" Piper said.

Aubrey turned her head back towards the open sky before replying, "Whoever you are, just go away."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Piper replied. "I was sent here to help you."

Aubrey brought her palms up to her face and brushed away her tears before standing up and facing Piper. "Let me guess, the Elders sent you here to help me?" she asked. "Well guess what? I don't want, or need their help...or yours."

Aubrey lowered her eyes as orbs began to form around her slim petite body. Piper saw her opportunity slip away with every appearing orb before she threw her hand out to protest. "Please, Aubrey, don't go. Believe me, I'm not the biggest fan of the Elders either."

The blonde Whitelighter glanced up at Piper and ordered her orbing power to dissipate. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say the Elders haven't earned a spot on my Christmas list after everything they have put me through," Piper explained, moving closer to the young whitelighter, hoping that she wouldn't try to take off again.

Aubrey frowned, still not understanding. She crossed her arms over her chest before asking, "So why did they send you to help me if you guys aren't exactly buddy-buddy?"

Piper smirked. "I'm not sure yet," she replied. "Why don't you tell me what happened to make you fall off the Whitelighter path?"

Aubrey raised a suspicious eyebrow before crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like that's any of your business." The Whitelighter once again turned her back on Piper, hoping that she would finally leave.

Piper thought for a moment before asking, "It's because of your Charge, isn't it?"

Aubrey's pretty face was instantly saddened at the mention of her charge. In a fragile voice she asked, "They know?"

"The Elders?" Piper questioned before continuing. "I'm not sure, but I saw him and I found this in his hand." Piper pulled the bracelet from her pocket and held it out in her open palm.

Aubrey turned slightly and gazed at the article that Piper was holding. She was slightly surprised to see the ornament.

"Why did he have this in his hand, Aubrey?" Piper questioned. Aubrey's mouth fell to a slight gape; she was at a loss for words. A realization finally hit the future Matriarch. "You two were in love, weren't you?"

Aubrey didn't utter a word; she simply nodded her head before she finally spoke. "And I got him killed. It's my fault."

"Aubrey, I know it's hard to lose a charge," Piper sympathized. "My husband lost a charge some time ago; she was murdered by ghosts who wanted revenge on my husband."

Aubrey thought for moment before asking, "You're Piper Halliwell, aren't you? You're Leo's wife?"

Piper nodded. "I am, and I think I understand why the Elders sent me to find you."

"Why?"

"Our situations are kind of similar," Piper answered. "Leo fell in love with his charge and you fell in love with yours. I can kind of relate to you."

"I hope that's not the reason, since I'll be in big trouble if the Elders know about Travis and me," Aubrey said worriedly.

"Why would you say that?" Piper questioned, pushing a stray hair behind her ear.

"After you and Leo were married, all Whitelighters were told that whitelighter/charge relationships would not be tolerated," Aubrey explained.

Piper shook her head, stunned. "But why would they allow for me and Leo to be together, but still enforce that rule?"

"The Elders knew that you and Leo had a destiny to be together, it's something they couldn't prevent no matter how hard they tried. So unless you have a divine destiny to be with your charge, it's not allowed," Aubrey explained.

"One would think they would have tossed out that rule," Piper said, angrily. "Damn Elders."

"One would think, but they sure are sticklers for rules which can sometimes be a complete pain in the ass," Aubrey shared.

"I'll bet," Piper responded before turning back to the situation at hand. "Back to Travis, what happened and why do you blame yourself for his death?"

Aubrey bit her lower lip as she tried to control her welling tears. She kept seeing Travis' terrified face when she returned to his apartment.

Piper moved towards the girl, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Aubrey, you can talk to me."

Aubrey pursed her lips before releasing a deep breath, lifting her eyes to the heavens above. She closed them for a moment before telling her story. "Travis and I have been at odds for about a week now," she began. "We kept on fighting about taking on the Elders about our relationship. Travis was tired of keeping things secret, but I just couldn't. I couldn't risk the Elders taking me away from him permanently."

"Sound familiar," Piper said, before giving a single nod, indicating for Aubrey to continue with her story.

"Well this morning we got into a huge fight. He accused me of being selfish and scared. That I was only concerned of what would happen to me and the more I tried to explain that I was trying to keep us together, the more he felt like I didn't care," Aubrey explained, moving closer to the edge, the cool breeze rushing over her pale skin. "That I was abandoning what we had. Finally I couldn't take it anymore."

"What happened?" Piper questioned.

Aubrey lowered her head, the wind blowing up her soft blonde curls. "I told him that if anyone is pushing anyone away it's him. I took off the bracelet that he had bought me and threw it at him. I told him that I couldn't do it anymore and I left."

"You weren't there when he was killed?" Piper asked.

"No, but he did call for me and I ignored him," Aubrey admitted. "If only I had gone to him, if only I wasn't so stubborn."

"He called you when he was being attacked?" Piper asked.

"I'm not sure, I didn't sense any panic in his voice, just annoyance that I was ignoring him, but after a few minutes I felt something..." Aubrey trailed off.

"You felt what?" Piper questioned but she had a feeling she knew what Aubrey was going to tell her.

"I felt this burst in my heart and it wasn't love, it was pain." Aubrey brought her delicate hand up to her chest, gently placing it over her heart, remembering the feeling. "It was the feeling of death. You only feel the burst of death if you were extremely close with your charge. Only a select few Whitelighters have experienced it, but it's not the type of feeling I'd wish on anyone. It's the feeling Darklighters walk around with, but they don't fight the feeling, they embrace it. It's what makes them so ruthless, so cold."

Aubrey turned away for a moment, bringing her hands up to her face when a being appeared on the bridge next to her. Both Aubrey and Piper were oblivious to his presence. The being was dressed in an all black suit, typical Darklighter attire. But there was something more sinister about the spike-haired Darklighter. He seemed to be on a mission.

"Aubrey, you can't blame yourself for this. Someone obviously didn't want you to know that he was being attacked. They could have shielded themselves from him. I've come across invisible demons before." Piper tried to comfort the girl, hoping she'd get through to her.

The Darklighter moved closer to Aubrey. He stretched his neck over her shoulder before whispering in her ear. "She's wrong, it is my fault. It's part of my job to protect my charges and Travis was the one I had to take special care of and I let him down. My stubborn streak got him killed. It's my fault, it's all my fault."

Aubrey's forehead creased as she lightly shook her head. "It's all my fault," she muttered under her breath.

"Aubrey?" Piper said.

"I'm responsible," Aubrey said, moving closer to the ledge again. She stared down, watching as the cars, different shapes and models, raced by below her. She stretched open her arms before leaping off the bridge without a twinge of fear.

Piper rushed forward screaming the young Whitelighter's name, hoping to catch her before she was all the way over. Piper stopped at the ledge as Aubrey fell, before she was consumed by glistening and glowing orbs that carried her back off into the sky.

"Aubrey!" Piper called after her.

Piper knew she had to track Aubrey down again, she needed to help this girl. She just had to. The Witch pulled the teleportation potion from her pocket before dropping it to her feet, willing it to return her to her home. As the smoke began to consume Piper, the Darklighter smiled as his body was being collected by his dark orbing power. Within moments, both the beings of good and evil were gone, not leaving a single trail to follow.

(-v-)

Billie sat on the pink lounger, patiently waiting for Piper to return. She kept busy by flipping through the Book of Shadows, studying each of the pages, even though she had seen most of them a hundred times before.

_At least the Book thinks I'm good_, she thought dryly to herself.

She still had so much to prove. She couldn't believe how much she screwed everything up in a matter of months. She sometimes wished that she'd never set out to find Christy, but she knew she'd always feel guilty for not doing it in the first place.

Christy was her family, but like in any other family, there's a bad seed; Christy was _that_ seed. She had implanted herself into Billie's subconscious. In time Christy grew in her mind and took over her thoughts and beliefs and changed them into hers and Dumain's. Billie knew she couldn't solely place the blame on Christy's shoulders. She was to blame as well. She chose to listen to her sister; she chose to believe her sister's twisted beliefs and turn her back on three women who had been more of a family to her than her own had been in her twenty years of life. She chose to believe a sister she barely knew, simply because she was family. Billie felt so deprived of that family love; that care, that having Christy back numbed that pain. The pain she felt from her parents ignoring her for most of her life. Her parents loved her, she never doubted that, but losing Christy changed them forever.

Billie closed the Book with a thud and bolted up from the lounger as particles of white smoke began to appear in the center of the room, announcing Piper's return. Billie was slightly surprised that Piper had returned alone. Though unbeknownst to her, Piper was far from alone, as the Darklighter appeared once more in his invisible form. He moved to the back of the attic and sat down on the cream arm chair, getting comfortable for his eavesdropping session.

"I'm figuring since you've returned alone that things didn't go so well with Aubrey?" Billie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She was a little cold in the beginning, but she started to warm up and talk to me about what happened. Then suddenly she changed," Piper relayed.

"Changed like 'poof'?" Billie asked, waving her hands to emphasize. "Or..."

Piper playfully rolled her eyes. "No, not literally," she said. "Something just changed in her; she acted kind of strange before she leapt off the bridge."

"I'm sorry?" Billie asked in disbelief. "She leapt off the bridge, like literally flung herself off the ledge?"

"Yeah, she jumped before disappearing in orbs," Piper said, moving back to the scrying map and picking up the crystal. "I have no idea if we'll be able to find her this time."

"No, we will find her again," Billie encouraged. "Even if we have to pull some additional magic to the scrying crystal, or even use my GPS system, we're going to find and save her."

Piper held the crystal tightly in her hand, praying that some force of magic would lift it from her palm and direct her to Aubrey once again, but she knew this was something she had to accomplish on her own, maybe even without Billie's help.

"Look, Billie, I appreciate your support and help," she began, rolling the crystal from one hand to another. "But I really think I have to take it from here. Alone."

"Piper, I'd really like to respect that, but if there is one thing you guys have taught me that I'll never forget, it's that everything happens for a reason," Billie opposed. "And I feel like I was brought to you to help."

Piper shook her head, unsure of what to do. "Billie, I don't know..."

"Piper, please," Billie said, practically begging. "I need to do this; I just... I _have_ to help you." Billie gave Piper a pleading look, hoping that she'd give her the opportunity to prove herself again. That's all she needed, she needed that other foot in the door.

Piper gave a defeated sigh, "Fine, you can stay and help me," she caved. "Maybe having the Ultimate Power on my side will help."

"Thank you!" Billie said with glee.

Piper couldn't help but smile at Billie's delight. She genuinely seemed excited to help. "Okay, you mentioned something about enhancing the scrying tactic?"

Billie nodded her head before moving over to the potion table to begin her enhancing concoction.

Piper watched with great interest as Billie combined the ingredients, knowing exactly what to add and how much, not making a single mistake. She had learned a lot from the Halliwells, and to see how far Billie had come since starting with potions only last year, Piper was impressed.

The Darklighter stroked his goatee, satisfied with his collected information. He knew it was time to return to Brotherhood headquarters to relay what he had learned. In a cluster of blue and black spheres he was collected up into the air and teleported from the attic, his presence still unknown.

(-v-)

Bacarra sat pleasingly in his swivel chair with Suriod sitting across from him. They were enjoying a pleasant conversation about past kills when the Spirit Killer appeared in the vast office out of dark orbs.

Suriod turned his head to speak with his minion. "Cal, please tell me you come bearing good news?"

"In fact, I do," Cal replied, sitting down on the second chair at the front of Bacarra's desk. "The Whitelighter is falling deeper into her guilt, while another little surprise has come to light."

"What may that be?" Bacarra asked, intrigued.

"The Ultimate Power has returned," Cal replied.

Bacarra sat up straight, surprised at the news Cal had delivered. "Billie Jenkins has returned?" he asked. "Where did you learn about this?"

"She's with Piper Halliwell," Cal answered. "I followed her home from the bridge and found the Ultimate Power was at her house."

"Billie and Piper are on speaking terms again?" Bacarra questioned, rising up from his chair and moving around his desk. "That is far from ideal."

"This might complicate things, Bacarra," Suriod said. "We need to do something about it."

"You're right," Bacarra said, shifting his eyes from Suriod to the Spirit Killer and back again. "Will you?"

Suriod instantly understood Bacarra's intentions. He knew he couldn't refuse Bacarra's suggestion. He joined the Brotherhood under his leadership and he couldn't deny any request from Bacarra.

Suriod raised his right hand, shutting his eyes momentarily to call upon his crossbow. In a cloud of grey smoke, his black iron crossbow appeared. He lifted it to eye level, aimed and pulled the trigger leaving the poisonous arrow to charge at the Spirit Killer.

Cal didn't even have time to try and avoid the attack before the arrow pierced him in the gut. He hardly had a moment to scream before his body erupted into flames, leaving a cloud of dark orbs floating in mid-air.

Suriod lowered his weapon, causing it to disappear just as it had appeared seconds earlier. He was slightly saddened that he had to sacrifice one of his own, but he knew it would be for the greater Evil in the end. He knew that Cal would understand that.

Bacarra eyed the floating orbs, moving closer and closer to it. He waved his hand around it, feeling the power. He pulled the orbs closer to him before they melted into his body, giving it a blue hue for a few seconds.

The glow subsided as Bacarra turned back to Suriod. "I know that was hard to do, Suriod, but even I have learned that you can't always leave the important jobs up to lower beings."

"I understand, Bacarra," Suriod said. "But how will Cal's powers be of any use to you? Even you know you can't contain Darklighter powers for long, they simply weren't made to be absorbed by Warlocks."

"I'm aware of that fact," Bacarra relayed. "But I don't need the powers for long, just long enough to get to the Whitelighter and the Ultimate Power."

"You are going after Billie?" Suriod questioned. "How?"

"Don't you know?" Bacarra questioned. "She killed her sister. That type of guilt can destroy anyone, or," he paused for a moment. "Even turn them to the other side."

"You want the Whitelighter and the Ultimate Power on our side?" Suriod asked, stunned yet impressed by Bacarra's plan.

Bacarra smiled, delighted. "Let's just say opportunity has finally knocked and I've finally answered the door."

(-v-)

Billie sat by the antique desk, her laptop poised in front of her before she placed her hand upon the crystal quartz to activate her scrying GPS. In the meantime, Leo had returned home with the boys and Piper had just finished catching him up with the developments.

"Are the boys okay?" Piper asked, finally turning business to family.

"They're tired out, they had a ball with Trisha," Leo answered with a smile. "She's offered to take care of the boys whenever we need a baby sitter."

"That's very nice of her," Piper thought aloud.

Leo moved over to Billie and peered over her shoulder to see how the scrying was coming along. He was most impressed with Billie's technique. Of how she was able to modernize an age old Wiccan Tool and use it so flawlessly. He wished he'd had the opportunity to teach this skill to his students at Magic School. Even he knew that magic had to grow with the times and this was a perfect example of modernized magic.

"Anything?" Piper queried, coming up behind her husband and Billie.

Billie narrowed her eyes at the computer, determined to track Aubrey down. "Not yet."

Piper groaned softly as she ran her fingers through her hair whilst moving towards the windows. She stared out at the street, wishing that Aubrey would just show up on the doorstep.

Leo glanced over his shoulder and worriedly looked over at his wife. He knew she was anxious to find the fallen Whitelighter, that she wanted to do all she could to save Aubrey.

He moved over to his wife and placed his hands on her arms, moving them up and down, hoping to comfort her. "You are going to find her again, honey."

"Really?" Piper asked, turning to her husband. "Because I'm not so sure. She's slipping away, Leo. She's slipping away from what she's supposed to be and I feel like I can't do anything to stop it."

"You can't think that way, Piper," Leo pressed. "You can do this, I know you can. You just have to have faith that you'll be able to save her before it's too late."

"What do you mean before it's too late?" Billie asked, not shifting her eyes from the computer screen as the beeping scrying signal continued to search the map.

"In rare circumstances, if a Whitelighter falls off the path, and their hearts become full of anger and hatred, they are most likely to turn into Darklighters," Leo explained as he paced the vast area of the attic. "This is why I'm so concerned about Aubrey. After the terrible loss she's suffered, one push in the wrong direction and she could turn to the dark side for good."

"Wait a second," Billie said, turning in her chair. "Are you telling me that Whitelighters can change into Darklighters and vice versa?"

"Yes," Leo replied. "There are some Whitelighters that were Darklighters before, but like I said, it's rare for it to happen. Only in extremely rare circumstances does this change happen."

Piper thought for a moment. She did find it quite strange that when she had finally got through to the young Whitelighter she suddenly changed like she did. Something was not right. "Leo, when I was up on the bridge talking to Aubrey it seemed like she was willing for me to help her. But the next second she started to act weird."

"Weird?" Leo echoed. "How so?"

"She kept muttering that it was her fault and that she's responsible," Piper replied. "It was almost like we weren't alone anymore."

Leo's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Spirit Killers."

"You really think it could be Spirit Killers?" Piper asked, before flopping down onto the couch. "We haven't come across one of those in years."

"What are Spirit Killers?" Billie questioned, continuing to move her hand on the crystal to keep the scrying attempt going.

"They're a different kind of Darklighter," Leo answered before explaining further, "They usually drive good souls to suicide with the power of suggestion. But I guess in this case, he's driving a fallen Whitelighter to the dark side with his deadly whispers."

"Leo, we barely saved Prue from a Spirit Killer and in the end she did most of the work," Piper commented. "How am I possibly going to do the same?"

"You can't give up, Piper, this girl needs you," Leo said, moving over to his wife and sitting down beside her. "We can't let her fall into evil hands."

Piper thought for a moment. She'd connected with Aubrey on the bridge, she knew she had. She couldn't let her become a Darklighter. She couldn't allow Aubrey's grief and guilt to change who she was; a being of Good, a protector, a Whitelighter. At that moment Piper knew she could do this. Every fiber within her was screaming at her to lift herself up from the couch and to get working. She was given this task for a reason and she was not going to fail at it, she didn't have that option.

"Okay," Piper finally breathed. "We've got ourselves a Whitelighter to save." Leo gave her a proud smile before she swiftly rose up from the coral couch and trotted over to the Book of Shadows. She carefully flipped open the heavy binder to begin her search while Billie continued to scry.

(-v-)

The apartment was silent and dark. The simple dripping of the faucet in the small kitchen was the only sound that echoed throughout the room until a faint jingle began to sound within it. In a column of swirling blue and white lights a silhouette began to take shape from behind the glittery spheres. The lights finally dispersed, leaving the young blonde Whitelighter standing alone in the room, the deathly silence returning once more. Aubrey stroked her arms to comfort herself from the inner chill that had consumed her frail body. It was the feeling she had feared would return again; the feeling of... death.

She lowered her sad, pale blue eyes to the floor, gasping slightly at the sight. A stain of thick red blood had seeped into the tawny carpet where Travis had laid earlier and ultimately died. She began to sob, shutting her eyes as she fell to her knees. She brought her shaking hands to her mouth as she continued to cry. She lowered one hand to her chest, feeling as if her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces with every sob. She squeezed her shut eyes even tighter as her last moments with Travis played out in her mind.

_"I can't believe how selfish you are being, Brey!" Travis shouted, his brow wrinkled in anger._

_"Oh, so I'm being selfish because I want to keep us together," Aubrey retorted, with a mock reproach. "Yeah, that makes a bucket load of sense."_

_"Stop being smart," Travis said. "You know exactly what I mean." Travis ran his hands through his dark hair in frustration. "You are just concerned of what will happen to you once the Elders find out about us. You're afraid they'll recycle you."_

_"That is not it and it hurts that you even think that I'm just concerned about myself," Aubrey said through gritted teeth. "Do you realize what they'd do?" she asked. "They'll take me away from you. They'll assign you a new Whitelighter and forbid me to ever see you again. If they do that then they might as well recycle me because losing you would kill me."_

_"Clearly it wouldn't kill you enough if you won't even take the chance in telling them," Travis said. "They might surprise you; they might not stand in our way."_

_"You don't know the Elders," Aubrey pressed. "This is something we all agreed to the day we became Whitelighters. If I tell them we're in love, they wouldn't think twice about taking me away from you."_

_"I can't believe that you are giving up so easily, that you won't fight for us." Travis shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you are so willing to abandon what we have just because of the stupid Elders," he said. "You know what you are doing; you are pushing me away. If you want out of this then say so right now." _

_"God, are you even listening to me?!" Aubrey shouted. "You know what, Travis?" she began, taking off the charm bracelet from her arm and holding it in her hand. "If anyone is pushing anyone away it's you, not me." She glanced down at the beautiful bracelet he had bought her, before tossing it at him. "I'd give up anything to be with you, but I'm done," she said, moving to the door. She opened it and stood in the doorway, turning to a stunned Travis. "I'm just...done." _

Her last words to Travis echoed in her mind. "_I'm just done." _She continued to cry, her stomach beginning to cramp from the intense sobbing. She slowly lowered herself to the ground. She laid there for a moment, continuing to think of Travis and how guilty she felt for just leaving him like that.

"Why did you leave me, Brey?" a voice asked.

Aubrey rolled over on her stomach and looked up to see Travis standing before her, his chest a mess of blood, his eyes lifeless. He stared down at her, hurt, but most of all angry.

"I-I didn't mean to," she stuttered. "I'm so sorry." She slowly lifted herself up to sit on the floor as Travis moved closer.

"You didn't care, you never did," Travis whispered. "If you did, you would have come back when I called you. You would have known that I was in trouble."

"I..." Aubrey cried. "I'm sorry, Travis. I love you."

"You don't know the meaning of the word love," Travis spat. "You are heartless."

Aubrey felt the pain in her heart becoming deeper. She brought her hand up to her chest again, hardly able to sustain the burrowing pain.

"You should just give it up, you know, this holier-than-thou crap," Travis snapped. "You know who you truly are, stop fighting it."

Aubrey brought her hands up to her ears, trying to block out Travis's words. "Stop it," she begged. "Please, just stop!"

"It will only stop when you accept your true fate," Travis said.

Aubrey finally gathered enough strength to call upon her orbing ability to teleport her out of the apartment. Swirling spheres of light collected the girl before rising to the ceiling, disappearing from the room.

The apparition of Travis gave a smug smile before finally vanishing as Bacarra became visible. He was sitting on the emerald green chair, having had a front row view of the events that had just occurred. "I'm close," he smiled. "Just a little more and she'll be mine."

(-v-)

Piper sat by the kitchen table feeding baby Chris as he sat in his high chair, happily awaiting his next helping. Leo sat next to Wyatt as he also enjoyed a late lunch.

Leo looked over at his wife, seeing her hope in finding Aubrey was failing even more. They had been searching high and low for the last hour and a half and had come up empty handed. Billie had insisted on the couple heading downstairs with the kids to grab something to eat, and hoped that it would distract Piper somewhat while she continued the search.

Leo breathed before making conversation. "So, it's nice to have Billie here again," he commented.

Piper continued to feed Chris while muttering a simple "M-hmm."

Leo leaned his arms on the table before asking, "Are you two on better terms now?"

Piper sighed before placing down the feeding spoon, ready to humour Leo's questions. "I've decided to take the high road with Billie," she informed. "I'm not about to forgive and forget everything she has done, but we've got to start somewhere, right?"

"I'm glad you are at least trying with her," Leo admired. "She's a good kid who just fell off the path, pretty much like Aubrey."

"I know," Piper admitted.

Leo thought for a moment. "Is that why you are so eager to save Aubrey?" he asked. "Because you couldn't save Billie?"

Piper tilted her head slightly, her face falling. "Maybe," she admitted. "A little."

"Honey, you can't think that way," Leo said, taking her hand in his. "In the end Billie was saved, you just have to have faith that you'll be able to save Aubrey too."

"It's amazing how much faith you have in me," Piper smiled. "I wish I did."

Leo returned the smile. "I'll always have faith in you, honey," he said. "Just like you've always had in me."

Piper smiled lovingly at the love of her life. She admired Leo's unfaltering faith in her and her abilities, but it didn't stop her from having doubts about herself. She just hoped that Leo would be right this time.

(-v-)

As darkness began to creep over San Francisco, the attic was quiet except for the occasional beeping coming from Billie's computer as she slept next to it. She laid with her head on her arm that rested on the desk. Her head kept twitching as she softly moaned; she was clearly having a disturbing dream.

_"How could you?" Christy's voice echoed through her mind as Billie watched her sister conjure a large flaming fireball. _

_Christy's face was completely contorted in anger as she scrunched up her nose before directing the fireball directly at her younger sister. _

_Billie thrust out her hands, using her telekinesis to send the flaming ball back toward her sister. At that moment Billie realized what she had done, but it was too late to stop the fiery ball of death that was charging at her sister._

_The final sound Billie heard was her sister's deafening scream before her body disappeared within the flames, leaving only the memory of her behind._

Billie jerked up from the desk, her brow dripping with sweat as if she could still feel the heat, as if she herself had been consumed by that fireball. She flexed her arm, trying to recover the feeling of it after having been asleep on it for the last twenty minutes.

She combed her blonde tresses back with her fingers before slipping the hair band from her wrist to tie it back. "Ugh!" she groaned, staring at her computer screen as the GPS signal continued to beep. She had hoped that by the time that Piper and Leo had returned to the attic that she would have some good news to share, but she didn't have any. She rested her elbows on the table before burying her head in her hands. She wished her dreams would just stop. Having to relive Christy's death every time she dared to close her eyes was hard enough, but the sleep deprivation was really getting to her.

"You can try all you like, but you'll never make up for what you've done," a voice whispered in Billie's ear.

She lifted her head, her eyes scanning the room for the identity of the voice, before she realized that the voice she had heard was in fact her own. Little did she know that Bacarra was the one who was whispering in her mind as he stood in the far corner of the attic.

"You're evil and you know it," he said. "Only a truly evil person would kill their own sister."

Billie shook her head, trying to force the whispers from her mind. "I'm good, I'm not evil," she said, over and over.

"Stop fooling yourself," a new voice spoke.

Billie looked to her right and flew up out of the chair, her mouth falling to a gape. "Oh, my God." She couldn't believe who was standing across from her. "Christy?"

"You can't change who you are, sister," Christy said, moving closer to Billie.

Billie was both shocked and sickened at the sight of her sister. Christy looked different; her skin was seared and raw from the flames that had claimed her life. Her hair was black with ash and her expression seemed dark, completely evil.

"How could you do it, Billie?" Christy whispered. "How could you knowingly kill your own flesh and blood?"

"It was an accident; you were trying to hurt us!" Billie defended, inching away from her sister who was slowly advancing on her. "I had to protect myself and the sisters."

"It was no accident," the firestarter hissed. "You wanted me dead so that you could be a part of the sisters' lives again." Her eyes began to flicker with flames. "How could you turn on me?"

"Christy, please," Billie begged, bumping her back into another table, realizing she had no where else to go. "Don't do this."

"I didn't do this," Christy said. "You did. You destroyed any chance of us being a family again. You chose the Halliwells, who, by the way, will never forget your betrayal, no matter how hard you try to get back into their good graces."

"You're wrong," Billie said, shaking her head. "Piper and I are reconnecting, we're working on our issues."

"Piper thinks you're weak, she simply pities you when deep down she'd like to make you an ingredient in one of her vanquishing potions," Christy wryly smiled. "She's simply using you, tolerating you to do her dirty work just like before. I can't believe you are still allowing her to do that."

Billie fell to the floor before her inner voice whispered to her once more. "_You know she's right,_" it said. "_You're just Piper's little worker, she's just using you to do the work she was assigned to do. She doesn't care about you. She simply wants you to do all the work while she receives all the credit. You're such a fool to be dragged into her twisted web of lies again._" The young blonde witch lowered her head, running her hands up from her face and into her hair.

"You know I'm right," Christy proudly stated. "Why don't you just admit you killed me for nothing?" Christy lowered herself to the floor and took hold of Billie's chin to force her to look at her. Billie felt nauseated by her sister's touch. "Admit it!"

"Alright!" Billie shouted, her voice becoming shrill. "I admit it, I killed you for nothing. They weren't worth saving, you were!"

Christy let go of her sister's chin and gave her an approving slap on the cheek. "Atta girl," she said. "You've finally got it. Now avenge me."

"Billie?" Billie looked up as she saw Piper standing in the doorway, a look of confusion on her face. "What's going on up here?"

Christy eyed her sister once more. "You know what to do." Once her words were spoken, the dead sister evaporated. Billie scrambled to her feet before she swung her arm in a wide arc, sending Piper across the attic. She landed safely on the day bed before it flipped over causing Piper to fall to the wooden floor.

"Billie?!" Piper shouted, pushing herself up from the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You made me kill my sister," Billie said, stalking towards her. "And all for nothing! I'm simply your little slave again. That's the only reason you welcomed me back again."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Piper questioned, lifting her hands, ready to attack if necessary. She finally realized what was happening. "Billie, it's the Spirit Killer," she announced. "He's playing with your mind, don't fall for it."

"Why won't you ever admit your true intentions?" Billie paused. "Or, even better, shut up with all your lies!"

Billie was about to telekinetically fling Piper into the air once more but the Charmed One's reflexes were faster. Before the telekinetic blast could touch her, Piper flicked her hands, sending a blast towards Billie. It forced her off her feet and caused her twirl into the air and to finally crash against the wall next to the window. Billie's head hit the corner of the wall causing her to plunge to the floor, unconscious.

Piper let out a relieved breath as Leo came running into the attic, concerned with the ruckus he had heard from downstairs. "What happened?" he questioned, casting a concerned glance at the unconscious witch lying on the floor.

"I think the Spirit Killer got to her," Piper explained, moving towards Billie. "She was ranting about how it was my fault that she killed Christy and then she attacked me."

"Are you okay?" Leo asked, worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine," Piper said, kneeling down next to Billie. "I'm used to being flung around a room."

"What should we do with her?" Leo asked.

Piper thought for a moment. "Tie her up until we can figure out how to fix her and, most important of all, to keep her from avenging her wrath on me again." She stood up and moved over to a trunk on the other side of the attic.

"I agree," Leo said with a nod as he knelt down and lifted the young girl into his strong arms. He carefully carried her to a chair near the back of the attic. He placed her down on it, keeping her steady as Piper opened up the trunk and pulled out some rope.

Piper stood up as she closed the trunk once more and then marched towards her husband. Leo kept Billie up as Piper tied up her hands behind the chair, making sure the rope was tight.

"Don't you think she might use her power to untie the rope?" Leo asked. "Prue managed to do it."

"You're right," Piper said, finishing up her job. She held her hands over the rope that bound Billie's hands and began to recite an enchantment.

"_These ties will now bind you from causing harm,_

_As I speak these words, activate the charm_."

A golden hue began to imbue the rope before it dissolved, leaving the spell activated.

"Okay, one crisis averted," Piper said, moving over to Billie's computer. "On to the next."

(-v-)

Glistening spheres of blue and white light swirled into the darkened foyer of the Manor as Aubrey appeared, looking distraught and disheveled. Not really seeming to be in the right state of mind. She didn't know how she had got to the manor, but all she knew was that she had to talk to Piper before things spiraled further out of control. She slowly began to make her way towards the stairs when the voice she feared would return again began with its dark whispers once more.

"Why did I come here?" the voice began. "Why do I think that Piper can help me? Nobody can help me. No one can numb the guilt or take away this aching feeling in my heart."

Aubrey backed up against the pale yellow wall, her chest expanding and contracting as her breathing increased. She was nearing a panic attack as she lifted her hands and thumped her palms against her forehead, trying with all her might to expel the voice from her mind.

"Piper doesn't care about me. She's simply following the Elders' orders," the voice taunted. "They just want to track me down so that I can be punished; she's just been ordered to deliver me to them. Piper doesn't care, just like Travis, he didn't care about me. He just wanted an excuse to get rid of me. He never loved me..."

With her back against the wall, she slid down it as her legs buckled and finally gave way, causing Aubrey to fall to the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest, laid her arms on them and finally her head.

"I never loved you."

Aubrey looked up as Travis was standing before her just like before. She had heard what he had said but she didn't believe it. "What?"

"I never loved you," he repeated. "I was trying to get you out of my life, but it seems like you couldn't take the hint."

"Don't say that," Aubrey pleaded, raising her hands to her ears refusing to listen any further.

"Ugh, you're so whiney and dependable, you could never make up your own mind," Travis stated. "Why don't you do the universe a favour and accept who you truly are?"

Aubrey brought her hand up to her heart, the pain pounding with every beat it took. "You're wrong; I'm not what you say I am."

"You're selfish and self-involved." Travis knelt down next to her, lifting a finger to her hair and twirling it. "When's the last time you actually spent any time with your other charges?" he asked. "Always just using your sensing power to make sure they won't need you just so you can be with me? What seems right about that?"

"I care about my charges," Aubrey cried.

"Clearly not enough since you let me die," Travis retorted. "You are so full of hate and reproach. You know that feeling in your heart, the one you are trying so hard to suppress? That's who you really are."

Aubrey tried to scoot away from him when he grabbed her arm to stop her. "I don't believe it."

"It will be better if you just accept the feeling instead of fighting it," Travis suggested. "You're evil, baby, it's time to get with the program and accept it."

Aubrey's eyes became clear, the realization of Travis' words finally hitting home, her strength to fight the feeling giving way. She raised her hand to the side of her face as she caught a glimpse at the tips of her hair. It was changing, becoming darker. The pain in her heart was waning as she began to accept the truth that she had known deep down. Aubrey's once distraught features hardened, her veins turned black. It palpitated as the darkness spread through her body, like a poison, covering her arms and her face for a moment. Her tears had vanished and her eyes became dark as the night before she slowly rose up from the ground. She had something to take care of, and now was the perfect time to do so. But before she could execute her plan, she had to take care of Piper.

(-v-)

"Find anything yet?" Leo asked his wife, coming up behind her as she sat by Billie's computer, trying to track down Aubrey.

"Actually," Piper began squinting at the computer screen, not sure of what she was seeing. "I think I've found Aubrey."

"Really?" Leo said. "Where is she?"

Both Piper and Leo turned their attention to the attic door as it slammed open with a great deal of force, a dark haired Aubrey standing on the threshold. "Ding-dong," she said, cocking her head to the side.

Piper lifted herself up from the chair, not believing what she was seeing. As she stared at Aubrey, horrified, she saw all her hope fading away. She was too late; she'd lost her to the dark side. "Aubrey, what happened?" she breathed.

"I've just embraced who I truly am," Aubrey sniped. "You really thought that I'd fall for your lies? You and the Elders are all the same." She lowered her hand and, from out the swirling smoke, a black crossbow was conjured. "And now you'll be the first to pay for your deceit."

She raised the crossbow to eye level and pulled the trigger, releasing the poisoned arrow towards Leo. Piper quickly raised her hands, releasing her freezing ability upon the dangerous arrow. It immediately came to a screeching halt.

Billie began to stir as her eyes fluttered open to see the drama that had ensued in the attic during her unconscious state. She finally realized what she had done and the guilt began to set in once more. She saw a dark haired girl, glaring at Piper. She figured the girl had to be Aubrey and that she had already turned. She knew she had to help Piper. She slowly flexed her fingers, moving them about, trying her best to untie the rope that kept her hands bound. To her relief, she could feel the rope becoming loose.

Piper protectively stood in front of her husband, ready to exact her last plea to Aubrey. "Aubrey, please, I swear to you I only have your best intentions in mind. That little voice that's telling you otherwise, you have to ignore it. You are being tricked."

"She's lying," the voice rang in Aubrey's mind. "She's just trying to talk her way out of it. Don't fall for it."

"I'm tired of your whining, it's so boring," Aubrey said, lifting the crossbow once more, aiming it straight at Piper's chest.

"No!" Billie yelled, flying up out of her chair. She flung her right arm to disarm Aubrey then used the other to send the new Darklighter across the room. Billie hurried towards the Darklighter and engaged her in hand to hand combat. Punches were throws and kicks were perfectly executed.

"Billie?" Piper yelled. She couldn't comprehend how Billie had broken free from her restraints, but that was a question for later, for now she needed to prove to Aubrey that a Spirit Killer was playing with her mind.

"Leo, get out of here," Piper instructed before hurrying to the Book of Shadows. Leo hurried towards the door, but was unable to make his escape as Aubrey and Billie were blocking the door. Piper quickly opened the thick cover of the tome and began to flip wildly though its pages. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Billie and Aubrey's fight raging on as blood began to drip from Billie's lip, but that didn't stop the young witch from trying her best to distract Aubrey.

Piper felt relief wash over her as she found a spell that would help her. It always amazed her how the Book would have the answers to most of their problems and she was grateful it had a solution for this one in particular.

"_Magic forces far and wide,_

_Reveal those who wish to hide._

_Bring forth the being whose whispers deceive,_

_Lift it now, remove the sheathe_."

A shimmering blue light began to illuminate the far corner of the attic. Slowly, the particles of a body began to form as Bacarra became visible to everyone in the room, including Aubrey. A chill ran down Piper's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. It was the same chill she'd experienced when she was being watched by an unknown being a couple of months ago. She stared at his face, a nagging feeling raging in the pit of her stomach, her mind racing through the past faces she had encountered over the last eight years. He seemed familiar to her, almost like she had seen him before, maybe in a dream or...

Piper's thoughts were interrupted when she was struck by a force that caused her to fall to the floor and skid across the room. She opened her eyes to see that the force that struck her was in fact Billie. The blonde witch's brow dripped of blood as she laid on the floor, groaning in pain. She was exhausted from the fight. Piper tried to get to her feet as she looked over at Aubrey; pure terror filled her insides. She didn't even have time to warn Leo, who was heading towards her to help, before the poisonous arrow pierced his chest. Leo gave a painful scream before falling forward, into Piper's embrace.

"Leo?" she said softly, holding onto her husband. Rage filled her eyes as she glared up at Aubrey. "What did you do?!"

"I made you pay," Aubrey said, lowering her crossbow and demanding it to disappear into thin air.

Bacarra moved forward toward Aubrey, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You have an immense talent, young one," he said. "Care to join my Brotherhood?"

Aubrey turned towards Bacarra, intrigued. "Sounds promising."

Bacarra smiled at the Darklighter before glancing over at a panicked Piper as she tried to stop the blood from Leo's wound. "I'll be seeing you again," he said. Piper looked up at him, her eyes still full of fear. "Soon."

In a blink of an eye, Bacarra was gone, and seconds later Aubrey was collected by swirls of blue and black spheres that carried her from the attic.

"Piper," Leo stuttered as blood began to drip from his mouth. "Tell the boys..."

"No!" Piper shouted. "You will not do this, you will not say goodbye. I'm not losing you again."

"But Piper," Leo tried once more.

"No, no way in hell," Piper cried. Her eyes searched the attic wildly as she called out for her sister, praying that Paige would hear her desperate cries. "Paige?! Please, I need you!"

In a matter of seconds blue and white orbs swirled into the attic before Paige's body began to form behind the lights. It appeared as though she had orbed straight from work as she was dressed in a nice black pinstripe pantsuit with a yellow blouse.

"Oh, my God," Paige whispered, hurrying to Piper and Leo's side.

Piper put her hand to her sister's arm, her eyes practically begging. "Paige, hurry, please."

Paige held her hand out and, with a sweeping motion, she called, "Arrow!"

Leo screamed in pain as the arrow was dislodged from his chest. Paige motioned the arrow to land on the potions table before laying her hands above Leo's wound. A golden hue began to emanate from them as she focused all her love into her hands to heal her brother-in-law. A moment later, the blood from Leo's mouth and the blood that was seeping through his dusty blue sweater evaporated. His wound was healed, his life was saved.

Piper pulled Leo into her arms as he sat up. "Oh, thank God," she cried.

Leo wrapped his arms tightly around his wife and closed his eyes, relieved that he was okay. Piper wanted to hold onto Leo forever. Losing Aubrey today was hard enough, but she knew she would have never survived if she had lost Leo too.

(-v-)

Billie sat silently in the living room before she heard Piper coming down the stairs to meet her. "How's Leo doing?" she asked with genuine concern.

Piper moved towards the young witch, her arms crossed over her chest before flopping down on the soft couch. "He's fine. A little shaken, but it's not the first time a Darklighter has tried to kill him. However, I'm not sure how much longer my nerves can hold out."

"I'm so sorry, Piper, I don't know what came over me earlier," Billie apologized. "The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you again."

"Billie, I don't want you to take this personally, but I think we went a little too fast with this reconciliation thing," Piper admitted. "It's obvious that we both have some unresolved issues about what happened and maybe it's best that we don't rush things."

Billie nodded her head sadly, disappointed to admit that Piper was right. "Maybe you're right," she said, lifting herself up from the chair. "But I want you to know that I really am sorry and that I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you."

"I appreciate that," Piper said.

"If you ever need help with anything, please call me." Billie paused. "_When_ you're ready."

Piper nodded appreciatively. "Goodbye, Billie."

Billie nodded her goodbye before making her way out of the living room and to the front door.

As the front door closed, Paige came down the stairs to meet with Piper. "Hey, you. Did Billie just leave?" she asked before sitting down in the chair that Billie had sat in a few moments ago.

"Yeah, I told her that maybe now wasn't the right time for us to make up," Piper explained.

"Maybe you're right, but I'm proud of you," Paige said, clasping her hands together.

"Why?"

"Because you actually took a chance on her again," Paige replied. "That was very big of you to put everything in the past and to let her back into your life. I know that couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't, but... everyone deserves a second chance," Piper admitted. "Let's face it; we've had our share of second and even third chances."

"True, very true," Paige said in a sing-song voice. She eyed her sister for a moment, sensing that something wasn't right. "Piper, are you okay?"

Piper gave her sister an awkward smile. "Not really," she confessed. "It's hard losing an innocent to the afterlife, but somehow losing one to the side of evil..." She paused as the edges of her eyes stung with the beginning of tears. "It kind of feels worse."

"Honey, you tried everything you could to keep Aubrey from falling to the dark side," Paige comforted. "You were playing up against a force that was, unfortunately, more powerful than you are."

"You know, I'd like to believe that, but I was given this assignment for a reason," Piper expressed. "This was to prove that I'm ready to be the Matriarch, and I failed."

"No, Piper, you only fail if you give up," Paige stressed. "And you are not the giving up type, my dear."

Piper gave a flattered chuckle and wiped at her eyes. "You're right, I'm not," she admitted. "But sometimes it's hard to be the strong one."

"You don't have to feel alone in all of this," Paige said. She stood up from the chair and moved over to Piper, sitting down next to her. She took Piper's hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Even if you have this divine destiny, we're still going to be here for you. Your family is going to be here for you."

Piper returned the squeeze and smiled. "Thanks." Her mind drifted once more to the warlock that had made an appearance in the attic. Piper knew for a fact that the being wasn't a Darklighter, since they don't usually have the power of blinking. She figured that he must have killed the Spirit Killer to acquire its abilities.

"Piper, what is it?" Paige asked, concerned.

"It's just...the Warlock that turned Aubrey," Piper began. "I think I know him from somewhere."

"How?" Paige asked.

"I'm not sure," Piper replied. "But I'm sure as hell going to find out."

(-v-)

**Thanks for giving chapter 8 a read. Chapter 9 is in production and I promise it will take you on quite a trip. So look out for that one. ;) Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed in the past. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message. Cheers.**


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